It may be too late to stabilize ACA markets for 2018
The stalling of Republican efforts to repeal and/or replace the Affordable Care Act has led to renewed talks of short-term measures to keep premiums down and keep insurers from leaving ACA exchanges, but those measures may be coming too late.
POLITICO reports insurers need to finalize 2018 premiums in most states in the next two weeks, but members of Congress won’t return to Washington, D.C. until September. By the end of that month, insurers have to sign contracts for 2018 marketplace participation, leaving very little time to take action—and that’s before factoring in numerous other legislative deadlines, like passing a budget, raising the debt ceiling and renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“We’re in a very strange position as regulators trying to decide what to do with rate increase requests that are pending before us with all of the uncertainty in the regulatory environment, and yet open enrollment is coming upon us,” said Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.