Page 46 - 072917

Groton Daily Independent
Saturday, July 29, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 029 ~ 46 of 67
through this month.
If they stop, insurers will have to
raise prices for coverage, known as premiums, because by law they must still offer the same reduced deduct- ibles for their low-income customers.
Leerink analyst Ana Gupte surveyed several states and has said that in- surers are asking for price hikes of around 36 percent when they assume the subsidies go away, compared with about 18 percent if they stay.
People with low incomes might be shielded from these hikes in part be- cause the law provides tax credits that cover much of the premium.
But those who make too much to qualifyforthathelp—andtendto voteRepublican—couldgethithard, notedhealthcareconsultantRobert Laszewski,aformerinsuranceexecu- tive.
“(Trump’s)hurtinghisownpeople,” Laszewski said.
Ofcourse,allshopperswillbehurt if insurers leave markets, noted Ur- banInstitutehealtheconomistLinda Blumberg.
“Then there’s nowhere to use your subsidy,” she said.
Mario Henderson leads chants of “save Medicaid,” as othersocialserviceactivists,Medicaidrecipientsandtheir supportersstageaprotestoutsidethebuildingthathouses theof cesofU.S.Sen.ThadCochran,R-Miss.,Thursday, June29,2017,inJackson,Miss.Soaringpricesandfewer choices may greet customers when they return to the Af- fordableCareAct’sinsurancemarketplacesinthefallof 2017, in part because insurers are facing deep uncertainty aboutwhethertheTrumpadministrationwillcontinueto make key subsidy payments and enforce other parts of theexistinglawthathelpcontrolprices.(APPhoto/RogelioV.Solis)
The Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem has already withdrawn from markets in Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana. CEO Joseph Swedish said Wednesday the company may cut back further if it doesn’t get certainty on the subsidies “quickly.”
Insurers have until the middle of next month to nalize their 2018 prices, industry of cials say. They must leave enough time for the rates to be submitted to the marketplaces, and then for the on-line exchanges that sell the coverage to be tested before enrollment for next year’s plans begins on Nov. 1.
If insurers want to back out of a market, they have until about late September to do so.
Options already have grown thin. About a third of the U.S.’s approximately 3,000 counties have only one insurer selling coverage on their exchange, which is the only place where shoppers can get tax credits based on their income to help buy coverage. Those credits are separate from the subsidies for low-income customers.
Nearly 40 counties currently have no choices for next year on their exchanges.
Dan Mendelson, president of the consulting rm Avalere, says there is some hope that the Trump ad- ministration could yet shore up the system. He thinks the administration could recognize that it will be held accountable by voters for the condition of the law’s marketplaces. Further deterioration “would be very negative for them,” he said.
“I think in the end they’re going to have to stabilize these markets,” he said.