Undoubtedly I will hear that question many times in the coming weeks.
The answer is that this enrollment process is so screwed up we will have no earthly idea how many new people have enrolled and how many 2014 enrollees remained on the program until at least April 2015.
Let me try to illustrate.
Let’s say George is now enrolled in Obamacare. He is happy to have subsidized and guaranteed health insurance for the first time. He was even been happier to read in the media that the second year Obamacare rate increases would be small.
He was also happy to get a letter just before the Election Day telling him he will be automatically renewed in his current plan.
Then on December 6th George gets his January premium statement. He is paying a lot more! What happened? His insurance company phone lines are suddenly jammed. Seems like a lot of other people got a surprise.
Turns out all of those expert analysts and reporters writing stories about “average rate increases” never heard of the term loaded average––that’s when the plan that got 70% market share increased their rates 15% and the rest cut their rates or gave tiny increases.
Read the full article here.
Contact Steven G. Cosby, MHSA with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.
