Which states will offer multi-state plans on exchanges?
July 5, 2013 | By Dina Overland
National health plans that will sell policies through health insurance
exchanges in every state might not be available when the online marketplaces
open for business next year, thereby decreasing consumers' options and insurer
competition in many markets.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which will administer these plans,
says 31 states will have national plans available, but it won't release the
names of the insurers or states under consideration, reported the Washington Post/Kaiser Health
News.
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans will be among the multi-state options. Alissa
Fox, the association's senior vice president for policy, said Blues plans have
proposed to offer a national policy next year in 31 states, including New
Mexico, Michigan, Kansas and Arkansas. But even assuming OPM approves the Blues'
proposal, 19 states could still be left without a national plan.
Another concern is whether these national plans actually will increase
competition since Blues plans already sell policies in almost every state. For
example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas will be offering a multi-state
policy in Arkansas, where it already dominates the market with a 70 percent
share, Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford told the newspapers.
But since insurance filings weren't due until the end of June, he doesn't
know yet whether the multi-state plans will offer different prices and options.
"It will be better for competition if they are somewhat different," Bradford
said.
Insurers, for their part, have raised concerns about whether OPM will create standards that undermine state
regulations and potentially create an uneven playing field in different
markets, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.
To learn more:
- read the Washington Post/Kaiser Health News article