Illinois'
largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, is taking steps
to return to the Obamacare exchange
next year despite uncertainty over the fate of the health care law.
The news comes as some
insurers in other parts of the country pull out of the marketplace for 2018.
In Illinois, insurers
have until Wednesday to file proposed rates with the Illinois Department of
Insurance. Colleen Miller, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross, confirmed Monday the
insurer is submitting rates and plans for next year.
However, the extent of
Blue Cross' participation in the exchange is undecided, she said. This year,
Blue Cross is the only insurer offering individual PPO plans on the Illinois
exchange. It's also the only insurer offering individual exchange plans in Lake
and McHenry counties.
"We're working with
regulators at the state and federal level to achieve a stable and sustainable
market," Miller said in an email.
Miller said the insurer
is not releasing its proposed rates.
The Illinois Department
of Insurance did not respond to a question Monday about when proposed rates
will be made public, but last year they were not publicly released until Aug.
1. The state doesn't require proposals to be made public upon filing. Some
states have already shared insurers' proposed rates.
Blue Cross raised
premiums for individual exchange plans in Illinois this year by 43 to 60
percent, and the company has said potential changes related to the Affordable
Care Act could mean significant premium increases.
Those changes would
include if the federal government stops enforcing the rule that everyone get
health insurance or pay a penalty, and if the federal government stops sending
cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers — money meant to help offset the
expenses of reducing deductible and copayment costs for lower-income members.
The House already has
passed a bill to replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act, and the issue
is being considered by the Senate.
A spokesman for insurer
Cigna, which offers individual exchange plans in Cook, DuPage, Kankakee, Will
and Kane counties this year, declined to comment Monday on whether the insurer
would return to the exchange again next year. Attempts to reach Celtic
Insurance Co., which offers individual exchange plans in Cook and DuPage
counties this year, were unsuccessful.
Copyright © 2017, Chicago
Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-blue-cross-obamacare-0620-biz-20170619-story.html
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