This page contains proposed health plan rate information for the District of Columbia’s health insurance marketplace, DC Health Link, for plan year 2024.
The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) received 215 proposed health insurance plan rates for review from Aetna, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser and United Healthcare in advance of open enrollment for plan year 2024 on DC Health Link, the District of Columbia’s health insurance marketplace.
The four insurance companies filed proposed rates for individuals, families and small businesses for the 2024 plan year. Overall, 215 plans were filed, compared to 238 last year. The number of small group plans decreased from 211 to 188, while the number of individual plans remained at 27.
More than 56,000 customers were impacted by the DC Health Link data breach, the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority revealed Friday.
The data fields compromised were name, Social Security number, birthdate, gender, health plan information, employer information and enrollee information – address, email, phone number, race, ethnicity and citizenship status.
Some 11,000 of the exchange’s more than 100,000 participants work in the House and Senate — in the nation's capital and district offices across the nation — or are relatives.
City leaders to join DC Health Link for whirlwind final weekend of Open Enrollment featuring barbershop outreach, pizza delivery outreach, door-to-door canvassing, and enrollment marathon with unique events at barbershops, Ben's Chili Bowl and all over DC
WHAT/WHO:
Because District residents have only four days left to sign up for health insurance coverage before the Open Enrollment deadline, DC Health Link is crisscrossing the city this weekend to make sure every resident in high uninsured areas of the District has the opportunity to enroll in quality, affordable health insurance. DC Health Link is holding its signature Enrollment Marathon and partnering with local businesses, city leaders, and civic groups to offer District residents FREE one-on-one, and virtual, enrollment help over the weekend at different locations throughout the District. These additional enrollment opportunities will help residents get covered before the Open Enrollment Period ends at midnight January 31, 2023.
Hispanic leaders to discuss overcoming barriers and access to health care and the state of enrollment opportunities at the 8th Annual Hispanic Leadership Health Forum
WHAT:
While recent national studies show the Hispanic community has seen among the biggest drops in uninsured rates thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), those same studies show that Hispanics have the highest uninsured rates of any racial or ethnic group nationwide. In 2020, the US Census reported that 49.9% of Hispanics had private health insurance coverage, as compared to 73.9% for non-Hispanic whites.
A few weeks ago I wrote about a bill pending in the District of Columbia Council, of all legislative bodies, which, had it passed, would have seriously undermined ACA protections for thousands of DC residents with employer-based healthcare coverage, as well as potentially setting precedent for similar bills in other states:
Executive Board votes to cut copays to $5, no deductibles
Washington, DC–The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (DCHBX) Executive Board unanimously voted to adopt recommendations based on the work of the DCHBX Standard Plans Working Group to help address health disparities in pediatric mental health treatment. Starting in Plan Year 2024, children covered by a standard plan on DC Health Link will only have a $5 copay, with no deductibles, for outpatient mental health visits, including specialist visits, and no limit on the number of visits. Additionally, this vote reduces prescription copays for child mental health care to $5, with no deductibles.
The action taken by DCHBX means that parents who had copays as high as $45 for their children's mental health visits will only pay $5 starting in 2024. Additionally, parents who were paying as high as $25 in copays for even the lowest-cost generic prescriptions for their children, will have only a $5 copay starting in 2024.
You'd assume that DC's governing body would be a staunch supporter of both the letter and spirit of the Affordable Care Act, and for the most part you'd be correct.
And yet, somehow, in this liberal bastion, there's a decidedly anti-Patient Protection, anti-Affordable Care bill which has somehow managed to work its way into the Council's legislative proceedings.
DC Announces 2023 Health Insurance Rates; Half of Insurers Decrease Rates after District Review
Washington, DC–Today, the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) announced the 2023 approved individual and small business health insurance rates. As a result of the Department’s review, half of the insurers decreased their initial rate proposals, which will save District residents more than $17 million.
“The Bowser Administration and the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking are committed to fair rates and non-discriminatory coverage,” said DISB Commissioner Karima M. Woods. “We performed a thorough review of 211 small group plans and 27 individual plans to ensure that they meet the District’s standards and provide non-discriminatory, accessible and affordable health insurance for our residents.”
CMS Approves 12-month Extension of Postpartum Coverage in Washington State
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), approved Washington state’s extension of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for 12 months after pregnancy. As a result, up to an additional 12,000 people annually will now have access to Medicaid or CHIP coverage for a full year after pregnancy. With today’s approval, an estimated 265,000 Americans annually in 15 states and D.C. have gained access to 12 months of postpartum coverage.
Insurers File Proposed Rates for 2023 District of Columbia Health Plan Offerings
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Washington – The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has received 208 proposed health insurance plan rates for annual review in advance of open enrollment for plan year 2023. The proposed rates were submitted for DC Health Link, the District of Columbia’s health insurance marketplace, from Aetna, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente and United Healthcare.
The proposed rates are for individuals, families and small businesses for the 2023 plan year. Overall, the number of plans submitted for 2022 is up by 51 from those submitted for 2022.
