Covered California has unveiled the 10 health care insurance companies that will participate in the state’s Obamacare individual marketplace in 2015.
All of the companies provided Covered California policies in 2014, the first year of the state healthcare exchange’s operation.
The 2015 Covered California companies are:
- Anthem Blue Cross of California
- Blue Shield of California
- Health Net
- Kaiser Permanente
- Chinese Community Health Plan
- L.A. Care Health Plan
- Molina Healthcare
- Sharp Health Plan
- Valley Health Plan
- Western Health Advantage
Rates are subject to approval by regulators. Covered California said July 30 that increases in healthcare premiums sold via the exchange would increase an average of 4.2 percent.
All of the companies are offering optional additional dental coverage for children and teens. Insurers selling healthcare via the Obamacare organization in California were required to offer the children’s dental coverage as of 2015. The coverage will be embedded in all family healthcare policies, the Covered California board decided in January.
In 2014, five of the Covered California companies offered the so-called pediatric dental plans, which actually cover people up to age 19.
Children’s dental care is one of the essential healthcare benefits under the Affordable Care Act, but states can offer the coverage separately from the private insurance it sells under Obamacare.
Covered California said it “will later announce adult and family dental options,” which would be new for 2015.
Reviews of the 2015 Obamacare providers in California are being done by the California Department of Managed Health Care (nine carriers) and the California Department of Insurance (one carrier). The reviews should be completed by the end of August, Covered California said.
Covered California addressed frequent concerns in its startup year of 2014 that carriers were not offering enough healthcare providers (doctors, facilities) in their networks. It said it was “creating an infrastructure” to monitor and improve network access.
“If consumers experience challenges accessing providers in their plans’ networks, Covered California has and will continue to help consumers navigate the process with their plan and with state agencies to resolve their individual cases,” the state Obamacare operation said in its plan handbook for 2015.
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