Aetna pulling out of ACA

[MBSC]

Baptist Health Plan will not offer individual plans in KY for 2017.

Baptist Health Plan will withdraw from Kentucky's individual health insurance market for the 2017 plan year.

Before the withdrawal, Baptist Health Plan had products available in 20 counties on the insurance exchange and 38 counties off the insurance exchange for the 2017 plan year. Kentucky now will have 59 counties with only one health insurance option on the exchange for 2017. Off the exchange, most Kentucky counties will have only two options.

Reference: http://www.bizjournals.com/louisvil...surer-withdraws-from-kentuckys-insurance.html

 

[Car-Guy]

I got my official letter from Coventry today. I hope I can find a plan on the exchange that has my wife's specialist. Now, I have to wait until November 1.

Seems I recall that we were told that if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.

 

[easysurfer]

Seems I recall that we were told that if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.

But will the doctor want to keep you?

 

[Car-Guy]

But will the doctor want to keep you?

I'm sure you can keep your doctor if you really want to keep him/her. Just pay them full price directly. It's probably in the fine print.

 

[Fermion]

I wonder how safe Alaska is on this. Premiums there for a couple in their 40s are around $1700 a month for a silver plan.

 

[Mulligan]

I got my official letter from Coventry today. I hope I can find a plan on the exchange that has my wife's specialist. Now, I have to wait until November 1.

I got my Dear John letter from Coventry last week. They should have just kept me and dropped everybody else. I gave them 3 years of premiums and didnt even use the crap plan.

 

[MBSC]

In South Carolina, both Blue Cross and its subsidiary BlueChoice offered exchange plans. BlueChoice will not offer 2017 exchange plans. Members with BlueChoice, Aetna, or UHC exchange plans will be mapped to a Blue Cross plan with the option to change.

BlueChoice HealthPlan to Exit Federal Exchange for 2017

BlueChoice HealthPlan will not offer any health plans for 2017 on the federally facilitated marketplace (FFM), also known as the “exchange” or Health Insurance Marketplace (www.HealthCare.gov). This change impacts members who enrolled in BlueChoice products through the FFM, as well as members who purchased a gold level BlueChoice plan off exchange. BlueChoice® will continue to offer silver and bronze products off exchange.

Both BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan have participated on the exchange since its inception. After an exhaustive internal analysis, however, a decision was made to offer health plans on the exchange under a one-company approach. Selling exchange products exclusively through our BlueCross line of business will allow us to achieve financial and operational efficiencies and reduce redundancies. Most importantly, it will allow us to continue to provide access to health care for people in this market — especially since many insurance companies have since exited or have announced plans to exit it.

BlueCross and BlueChoice are working under the guidance of CMS and the S.C. Department of Insurance to transition BlueChoice exchange members to a comparable BlueCross plan for 2017. These BlueChoice members will receive a letter explaining that they will be auto-enrolled into a similar BlueCross plan and what they need to do to make sure they will have coverage for 2017. Of course, these members may choose to shop from all of the plans available to them and make their own selection if they decide the plan mapped to them does not meet their needs.

As you know, the BlueCross plans are very similar to BlueChoice’s plans, since the Affordable Care Act mandates a core set of essential health benefits. The BlueCross provider network also includes the same South Carolina providers as the BlueChoice network — so patients will not need to select new doctors or facilities when they switch.

In addition, since Aetna and United have announced that they will exit the exchange for 2017, their 2016 ACA exchange plans have also been mapped to comparable 2017 BlueCross plans. This was done to make sure South Carolinians do not experience any gaps in coverage during the transition from 2016 coverage to 2017 coverage under different carriers.

 

[ziggy29]

In South Carolina, both Blue Cross and its subsidiary BlueChoice offered exchange plans. BlueChoice will not offer 2017 exchange plans. Members with BlueChoice, Aetna, or UHC exchange plans will be mapped to a Blue Cross plan with the option to change.

Is this another example of PPOs being shut down with members forced into an HMO?

 

[MichaelB]

Is this another example of PPOs being shut down with members forced into an HMO?

I was wondering that, but browsing the plans, it doesn't seem to be the case. Difficult to tell, though, they (BCBS) really don't share much info on their offerings.

 

[MBSC]

Is this another example of PPOs being shut down with members forced into an HMO?

No changes to the plan type or provider network during the switch from BlueChoice to BCBSSC. They can keep their doctor. BCBSSC requested a 14.5% average rate increase.

 

[Texas Proud]

Is this another example of PPOs being shut down with members forced into an HMO?

As you probably know... it happened in Texas for this year.... only HMOs for BCBSTX....

 

[ERD50]

I was wondering that, but browsing the plans, it doesn't seem to be the case. Difficult to tell, though, they (BCBS) really don't share much info on their offerings.

When I had to choose a new plan last year (my then-current BCBSIL plan was being 'discontinued' - why not just change the terms of that plan?), the only plans that I considered affordable from BCBSIL were HMO. So even if you are not forced to HMO, you may be 'persuaded'.

Hmmm, I guess I'll be seeing something from them soon for next year. Oh joy.

-ERD50