Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield and ConnectiCare will remain on Access Health CT (AHCT), the state”™s health insurance exchange, this year, and are expected to submit their rate proposals for 2020 today.
The insurers”™ proposals ”“ for both individuals and small groups ”“ to the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) will not be made public until probably later this week, whereupon they will be posted on the CID”™s website for public review and comment. Officials are expected to hold a public hearing on the rates in September.
If recent patterns hold true, the two insurers ”“ the only to offer coverage on Access Health ”“ will propose significant percentage increases which will then be negotiated down by the CID. Last year the proposed average individual rate increase request was 12.3% and ranged from -10.9% to 31%. The CID ultimately approved the range of rate increases for Anthem of 7.2% to 31%, and for ConnectiCare of 8.5%.
AHCT”™s last open enrollment period, which ran from Nov. 1, 2018, to Jan. 15, netted 111,066 Connecticut residents, which was 3,068 fewer than the previous year. Of those, 80,812 renewed their plans while 30,254 were new customers.
Anthem and ConnectiCare have been the sole insurers on the exchange for the past five years.
