by Jane Anderson
Blues plans, testing new
ways to cope with the volatility of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual
market, in 2020 will re-enter major counties that they'd previously abandoned.
Overall, Blues plans'
participation in the individual market has remained fairly steady in the last
five years, according to an analysis by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
However, Blues plans in
Arizona and Tennessee had abandoned major metro-area counties in recent years.
Now, they're rejoining the exchanges in those areas, having adjusted their
rates and their networks accordingly.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Arizona will rejoin the exchange in Maricopa County, which has more than 4.4
million residents. The insurer will compete with four other insurers in that
county, and says it will focus on enrolling residents who currently are
uninsured.
BlueCross BlueShield of
Tennessee, which refunded nearly $23 million to individual and small group
policyholders in September for overpayments made in 2018 and lowered rates for
2019 by an average of 14.8%, will have "nominal" rate increases of
1.4% on average for 2020 compared with 2019. The Tennessee Blues plan also will
rejoin the markets in Nashville and Memphis, which it exited in 2017 amid heavy
losses.
In Minnesota, the state's
reinsurance program debuted in 2018 with lower overall rates and is credited
with steep premium declines for 2019. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota,
which offers only HMO Blue Plus plans, dropped rates by an average of nearly
28% in 2019.
This year, the Minnesota
Blues plan will increase rates by about 5% while offering coverage statewide
for the first time since 2016. "After years of volatility and
unpredictability, the individual market has shown encouraging signs of
stability," says Craig Samitt, M.D., president and CEO.
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