New enrollments in Covered California plunged by almost 24 percent for the current year, a fall that had been both feared and expected. "The federal removal of the individual mandate penalty appears to have had a substantial impact on the number of new consumers signing up for coverage," Covered California chief Peter Lee said. Nonetheless, the state Obamacare operation finished its open enrollment for 2019 with 1.5 million plan ... (More)
Open enrollment through Jan. 15
October 15, 2018 Leave a Comment
Open enrollment for Covered California health insurance is under way. The key "sign on" period runs from Oct. 15 through Jan. 15. That's two weeks fewer than before, although the state Obamacare operation often finds a reason to extend the deadline a bit. (But don't count on it.) Covered California, as usual, urges consumers of its private health insurance to shop around and see if lower premiums could result. The average premium ... (More)
Covered Cal: Rates will rise 8.7%
July 20, 2018 Leave a Comment
The inevitable rates increases are in for California's private health insurance operation and the news is good, sort of. Covered California said rates will rise an average of 8.7 percent for 2019. That's less than the dire projections for most of the country, and follows two straight years of double-digit premium-rate hikes in California. The state Obamacare operation termed the increase "a modest rate change for 2019." That's ... (More)
‘Risk adjustment’ payouts frozen
July 11, 2018 Leave a Comment
Health insurers and Covered California officials are facing another curveball from the Trump administration on the Affordable Care Act that could rattle the insurance market. In early July, Seema Verma, administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said she was suspending a $10 billion program that helps stabilize the insurance markets created under the health law. She said the "risk adjustment" ... (More)
Study: ‘Catastrophic’ rates ahead
March 8, 2018 Leave a Comment
Health-care premium increases in individual markets could be as high as 32 percent in 2019 and rise between 35 and 94 percent by 2021, according to a study backed by Covered California. "The prospect of 30 percent premium increases in 2019 and hikes of over 90 percent over the next three years threatens access to coverage for millions of Americans," Covered California chief Peter Lee said. The report, "Major Indicators of ... (More)
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