Of all the problems the ACA has encountered over the 12 years since it was first signed into law by President Obama, one of the most irritating ones had nothing to do with Republican sabotage. The call on this one was made by the IRS (then under the Obama Administration), based on their interpretation of a few bits of language within the legislative text itself back in 2013: The Family Glitch.
We still get calls on a regular basis from people who are shopping for individual insurance because adding dependents to their employer plan is prohibitively expensive. We estimate that roughly 20 percent of the people who contact us are in this situation.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that the Biden Administration's historic vaccination program, which has gotten over 90 percent of seniors fully vaccinated and over 70 percent of seniors a booster shot, is linked to more than 650,000 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations and more than 300,000 fewer deaths among seniors and other Americans enrolled in Medicare. The study, which was conducted by researchers with HHS's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), underscores the importance of Americans – particularly seniors and others at high-risk of serious outcomes – getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall.
It's been nearly a year since I've checked in on what the off-exchange individual health insurance market looks like. In October 2021, Mark Farrah Associates estimated the total indy market (including both on- and off-exchange enrollees) at around 15.9 million people nationally as of June 2021. Of that, they figured roughly 75.4% of it was on-exchange vs. 24.6% off-exchange.
However, as I noted at the time, there were a couple of important caveats with Mark Farrah's estimates, two of which they mentioned but one of which they didn't:
It is important to note that Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) applied enrollment figures for select carriers not required to report health enrollment on a quarterly basis and made other adjustments based on market analysis. Furthermore, individual enrollment includes short term plan enrollees and may include Medicaid programs, such as CHIP, as some states include subsidized lines in the individual segment. These factors may have resulted in moderate understatement or overstatement of enrollment.
Since transitioning away from the federal health insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, and becoming a State-Based Exchange (SBE) in 2019, the Exchange has focused on expanding the online marketplace by adding new Qualified Health Plan (QHP) options and insurance carriers. This year, 37 new health insurance plan options have been added, bringing to a total of 163 QHPs across seven private insurance carriers.
The seven private health insurance carriers offering plans through NVHealthLink.com are:
Starting today, Nevadans can “window shop” to view and compare plans on NVHealthLink.com
CARSON CITY, Nev. (Oct. 3, 2022) – Nevada Health Link, the online health insurance marketplace operated by the state agency, the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange (Exchange), has announced the expansion of new plan options for the upcoming Open Enrollment Period (OEP). Starting today, Nevadans can visit NVLink.com and start “window shopping” to compare and explore plans prior to OEP beginning Nov. 1, 2022 through Jan. 15, 2023.
New Qualified Health Plan Options
Since transitioning away from the federal health insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, and becoming a State-Based Exchange (SBE) in 2019, the Exchange has focused on expanding the online marketplace by adding new Qualified Health Plan (QHP) options and insurance carriers. This year, 37 new health insurance plan options have been added, bringing to a total of 163 QHPs across seven private insurance carriers.
Consumers Can Preview Affordable and Comprehensive Plan Options Now, Enroll Starting November 16, 2022
Enhanced Federal Financial Assistance Will Remain Available for 2023 Health Coverage
ALBANY, N.Y. (October 5, 2022) – NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced the health and dental insurance plans offered through the Marketplace for the upcoming 2023 Open Enrollment Period. New Yorkers shopping for a Qualified Health Plan can compare plan options now and be prepared for the 2023 Open Enrollment Period, which begins on November 16, 2022 and runs through January 31, 2023.
NJ Department of Banking and Insurance Announces Expanded Health Insurance Options in 2023, Historic Levels of Financial Help Remain Available at Get Covered New Jersey
TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance today announced that consumers shopping for 2023 health coverage this fall at Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, will continue to benefit from historic levels of federal and state financial help. Consumers will also have more choice with Aetna now offering plans on the marketplace, increasing the overall number of carriers for the second consecutive year.
“Since launching our own health insurance marketplace, the Murphy Administration has been committed to increasing access to quality, affordable health coverage through Get Covered New Jersey,” said Commissioner Marlene Caride. “For the upcoming year, we have expanded the number of carriers offering plans through Get Covered New Jersey to five, up from three in 2020, and will continue to provide record levels of financial help to lower premiums.”
BALTIMORE (Oct. 4, 2022) – Marylanders can now explore health plans and prices for 2023 at the Maryland Health Connection, the state’s online health insurance marketplace. Using the Get an Estimate tool, you can compare plans and find out whether you are eligible for financial help in just a few minutes. Open enrollment to sign up for a 2023 health plan runs from Nov. 1, 2022 through Jan. 15, 2023.
“You never know when you might need emergency care or a visit to a doctor or specialist. If you have health insurance, you’re covered for when the unexpected happens,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. “I want to encourage anyone who is currently going without health care coverage to use the Get an Estimate tool to check out health plans and savings.”
As an example, a 40-year-old individual living in the Baltimore metro region who makes $50,000 a year will pay a monthly premium of $312 for the lowest cost gold plan.
This morning a group of researchers published a working paper at the National Bureau of Economic Research which delves deeply into excess death rates among Republicans vs. Democrats during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Political affiliation has emerged as a potential risk factor for COVID-19, amid evidence that Republican-leaning counties have had higher COVID-19 death rates than Democrat- leaning counties and evidence of a link between political party affiliation and vaccination views. This study constructs an individual-level dataset with political affiliation and excess death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic via a linkage of 2017 voter registration in Ohio and Florida to mortality data from 2018 to 2021.
Every year, the Minnesota Department of Commerce conducts a thorough review of the rates and plans proposed by health insurance companies in the individual and small group markets. Commerce must approve the rates before the companies can offer them to consumers. Under state law, rates for the following calendar year must be released 30 days prior to the beginning of open enrollment.
Individual health plans are designed for Minnesotans who buy their own coverage rather than receiving it through employer-based insurance or public programs such as Medicare, Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. Small group health plans are designed for employers with two to 50 workers.
Commerce may deny proposed rates or require insurers to raise or lower them if the department determines that they are excessive or inadequate for the benefits offered.
