CT Insurance Exchange update

Friday Trinity College sponsored “The Affordable Care Act: Implications for CT”, a conference on how CT is implementing health care reform and how our state’s system will be different. The conference highlighted Trinity’s new Masters Degree track in Health Policy. The insurance exchange was the subject of great interest, especially specific examples of household options…

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Exchange Board approves recommendation to limit insurer administration and profits

At yesterday’s meeting the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board unanimously approved a motion recommending that the state pass legislation limiting the amount of premiums insurers can spend on administration and profits, the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR), beyond the limits included in the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). OPM Secretary Barnes made the recommendation in response…

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Exchange meeting update

Monday morning the CT Health Exchange Board held a special meeting by phone with only a few days notice and only noticed on their website. The purpose of the meeting was to increase, yet again, costs for consumers in the exchange. They reduced the prescription deductible in the unsubsidized silver standard plan to $400 from…

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What can Charter Oak teach the CT health insurance exchange?

A comparison finds lower consumer costs in the current Charter Oak plan than the Access Health CT (the CT Health Insurance Exchange) standard silver plan. Governor Rell created Charter Oak almost five years ago for the same purpose as the exchange – offering affordable, decent coverage options for CT’s uninsured. While Charter Oak premiums started out…

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CT individual premiums expected to rise 29% next year

A new analysis by the Society of Actuaries predicts that non-group health insurance premiums will rise from the current monthly average of $339 to $514 in 2014. According to the authors, acknowledged by HHS Secretary Sebelius, the increase will result mainly from provisions of the Affordable Care Act. CT can expect our individual market to…

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Insurance Exchange web portal needs work

The access health CT (formerly the CT Health Insurance Exchange) web portal got a chilly reception from stakeholders at its first demonstration Wednesday. The web portal is the foundation of the state’s health reform efforts. People searching for coverage, in public programs or private insurance, will be directed to the website. The audience of brokers…

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Small business absence in Exchange planning

Kevin Galvin’s blog today notes the continuing absence of a small business voice on the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board, while the insurance industry’s voice is growing.

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CT Insurance Exchange standard plan – it got worse

Unaffordable in its first version, the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board today voted unanimously to raise deductibles and copays on the standard plans for in-network care, blaming federal regulatory constraints. The new standard plan for the Silver level raises the annual deducible (applicable to hospitals) from $2,500 to $3,000 and annual prescription deductible from $200…

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6 of 14 state exchanges actively purchasing coverage – but not CT

A new update on health insurance exchanges by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that six states – CA, MA, NY, OR, RI and VT – of the 14 that have made a decision, intend to actively purchase coverage. Those six exchanges will be negotiating with insurers to get the best value for consumers in their…

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