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U.S. NEWS Monday 30 october 2017

Enrollment Begins

Continued from Front companies.
The federal subsidy on ac-
They also can make their tual premiums remains,
own decisions about but some state officials are
spending because their concerned that consum-
budgets are free from ers will be confused and
Washington politics. believe those, too, have
State-run exchanges typi- been eliminated. The worry
cally pay for their opera- is that they simply would
tions through fees charged not bother to shop for a
to insurers on plans sold plan, thinking they couldn’t
through their marketplace afford it. About 12 million
Minnesota, Colorado and Americans buy individual
Washington will continue overage on the exchang-
heavy advertising for their es, according to the Kaiser
exchanges. Thousands of Family Foundation.
enrollment specialists will The morning after Trump’s
continue to help consum- Oct. 12 announcement,
ers navigate insurance Colorado’s Connect for In this Oct. 26, 2017, photo, signs hang on enrollment cubicles at Briva Health in Minneapolis.
plans in California and New Health exchange sent Associated Press
York. an email blast to current
For many of these states, and prospective enroll- the rest of the nation. dence from the federally tors, the specialists who fan
2018 looks like a payoff for ees, stressing that “finan- Chief Marketing Officer Mi- run marketplace. That is out across the state to help
the political risks and costs cial help is still available for chael Marchand is grateful particularly true when it consumers study various
they assumed when they 2018.” for Washington’s indepen- comes to so-called naviga- plans and enroll.q
decided to set up their That’s the kind of autono-
own exchanges. my that gives states with an
“When I think about what’s independent marketplace
going on at the federal lev- an upper-hand, said Larry
el, I’m sure glad we have Levitt of the nonpartisan
the reins here at the state,” Kaiser Family Foundation.
said Allison O’Toole, direc- “That’s where state-based
tor of Minnesota’s health exchanges are maybe in
insurance exchange, MN- the best position to help
sure. stabilize markets, by just
With the help of a separate putting extra resources into
and costly state program educating consumers in a
that is keeping premiums very confusing time,” he
stable for 2018, O’Toole said. “They have the ability
said she thinks Minnesota’s to dial that up at times like
exchange may be on track this.”
for its best year yet. Amid the changes at the
No state is totally immune federal level, California is
from the spikes in insurance staying the course. As al-
premiums since the health ways, open enrollment on
care overhaul launched in Covered California, the
2014. state marketplace, will run
Many states are bracing through January.
for double-digit rate hikes Its $66 million advertising
in the individual market, budget is steady from last
from an average increase year — and more than six
of 12.5 percent in California times the total that Health-
to jumps of roughly 45 per- Care.gov will spend in all
cent in Florida and nearly 38 states it covers.
60 percent in Iowa. Premi- “Health insurance needs to
ums for the most popular be sold. To walk away from
plans are up 34 percent selling it is a formula for in-
nationwide, on average. creased costs,” Lee said.
Millions of shoppers, wheth- In Washington state, law-
er they buy coverage on makers set aside an extra
HealthCare.gov or through $1.5 million to help their
their state’s marketplace, marketplace cut through
will see another modest the confusion.
spike after Trump’s decision The state’s Healthplan-
earlier this month to halt finder has added four en-
payments to insurers that rollment centers — for a
help cover some consum- total of six — and is running
ers’ deductibles and co- digital and radio ads that
pays. Trump called those promote the exchange as
cost-sharing payments a beacon of stability amid
“bailouts” to insurance the uncertainty in much of