Promoting Affordability

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
QHP Training NEW MEXICO HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE BeWellNM.com.
Advertisements

Making Health Care Reform Happen on the Ground: From Legislation to Implementation and Improvement 2010 Results International Conference June 20, 2010.
ROBIN LUNGE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH CARE REFORM NOVEMBER 18, 2011 Integration of Medicaid and the Exchange.
HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE & MEDICAID TRANSITION KEVIN R. HAYDEN Chief Executive Officer Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin.
Policy Proposals Health Care Coverage, Costs, and Financing.
The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA) implements broad, historic changes to U.S. health care Expanded access to health insurance and care.
Maintaining Affordable Health Coverage in Massachusetts Suzanne Curry Health Care For All Families USA Health Action 2015 January 23,
GIOVANNI GOMEZ REGIONAL COORDINATOR OF OUTREACH The Affordable Care Act: Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace.
ConnectorCare: The New Commonwealth Care Suzanne Curry MLRI Basic Benefit Training December 10, 2014.
Page 1 The Health Benefit Exchange and the Small Group Market Department of Health and Social Services.
HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM: HIGHLIGHTS OF MERGED SENATE DEMOCRATIC BILL.
Overview of Massachusetts Health Connector & Exchange: Design Issues & Lessons Learned Kevin J. Counihan Chief Marketing Officer 2010 Health Care Forecast.
Major Health Issues The Affordable Healthcare Act.
ARKANSAS BLUE CROSS and BLUE SHIELD An Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Health Care Reform From an Insurer’s Perspective.
Affordable Care Act Impact on Individuals, Small Employers and Non-Profits.
The Artists Health Insurance Resource Center A program of The Actors Fund Center for Emerging.
Premium Tax Credits under the ACA Cynthia Cox, MPH Kaiser Family Foundation
Affordable Care Act (ACA) The Affordable Care Act
Health Reform: What It Means to Our Community. Health Reform: Key Provisions o Provides coverage to 32 million uninsured people by o Changes insurance.
Presented by Jennifer Kluge Michigan Business and Professional Association.
The Affordable Care Act and Covered California El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce January 9, 2013.
Exhibit 1. Fifteen Million Young Adults Ages 19–25 Enrolled in or Stayed on Their Parents’ Health Plan in Past 12 Months Distribution of 15 million adults.
Employer Responsibility in Massachusetts: Recent Proposal Overview Audrey Morse Gasteier Deputy Director of Policy & Research ACA Interagency Task Force.
Health Insurance Connectors: Lessons from Massachusetts Nancy Turnbull Harvard School of Public Health and Board Member of Massachusetts Health Insurance.
Health Insurance Exchanges
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities cbpp.org ACA Health Coverage Enrollment Overview Center on Budget and Policy Priorities September 24, 2013.
Health Care Reform and its Impact on Michigan Janet Olszewski, Director Michigan Department of Community Health Senate Health Policy Committee May 5, 2010.
Rosemarie Day Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer 3 rd National Medicaid Congress Friday, June 6, 2008 Washington, DC Massachusetts Health Care.
THE COMMONWEALTH FUND The 2009 Congressional Health Reform Bills: Insurance Coverage Sara R. Collins, Ph.D., Vice President Rachel Nuzum, M.P.H., Senior.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Implementing the Affordable Care Act in Massachusetts 2012 Legislative Changes.
Jon Kingsdale November 11, 2007 Massachusetts Health Reform: Progress and Prognosis.
Page 1 June 28, 2011 Health Benefit Exchange: Outreach, Education and Enrollment Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
Covering the Uninsured: Blue Plan Initiatives NGA Governors’ Health Policy Advisors Retreat September 4, 2003.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Implementing the Affordable Care Act in Massachusetts 2013 Legislative Package.
An Overview of the Affordable Care Act An Overview of the Affordable Care Act.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Roadmap to 2014: Subsidized Insurance Workgroup Update Stakeholder Meeting.
Modeling Health Reform in Massachusetts John Holahan June 4, 2008 THE URBAN INSTITUTE.
THE COMMONWEALTH FUND Exhibit 1. Employer Coverage Continues to Be Major Source of Coverage for Employees of Larger Firms Percent of firms offering health.
Health Insurance Coverage: What you need to know. Joao dos Santos Faustino Coordinator of Member Services Hudson River HealthCare October 15, 2015.
Health Care Reform September 18 th, Individual Marketplace O Which individuals can purchase insurance on the exchange? O Individuals who do not.
Presentation to: Alliance for Health Reform Congressional Briefing Kaitlyn Kenney Director, Policy & Research Health Connector May 24, 2010.
Health Reform: An Overview Unit 4 Seminar. The Decision The opinions spanned 193 pages, upholding the individual insurance mandate while reflecting a.
Chapter 5 Healthcare Reform. Objectives After studying this chapter the student should be able to: Describe the expansion of healthcare insurance under.
1 Blueprint for Universal Coverage in New York Danielle Holahan, United Hospital Fund Cathy Schoen, The Commonwealth Fund December 18, 2006 THE COMMONWEALTH.
Affordable Care Act Introduction to Reform and Major Players in NY Rebecca Antar Novick Supervising Attorney, Health Law Unit The Legal Aid Society
Advancing the health of Ohioans through informed policy decisions Insurance basics: Provisions of the Affordable Care Act and how Ohioans are covered Reem.
G1 (BAII Plus) HEALTH INSURANCE Insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. Insurancemedical expenses What can health.
Rite of Passage: Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act of 2010
Health Coverage Enrollment in Michigan
Health Reform: What It Means to Our Community
Background Authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010; Health insurance subsidies for individuals and families between 100% and.
Rosemarie Day Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer
Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange A Vision for the Future
Health Reform Update: Work in Congress and by the Administration
Congress Considers Major Medicaid Changes
Mid-Market Employer Perspective
An Overview Name Certified Navigator Phone Number
For a middle-age person, before tax credits, premiums for comparable coverage would be similar under each plan Annual individual market premium for a silver.
The U.S. Health Care System: An International Perspective
The ACA sets caps on the amount that eligible exchange enrollees must spend on premiums Maximum monthly premium an eligible individual would pay for a.
Health Coverage Enrollment in Michigan
Health Coverage Enrollment in Michigan
Massachusetts Health Care Reform Connector Update Rosemarie Day Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer The 2nd National Congress on the.
Vice President, Health Care Coverage and Access
Health Care Reform: What It Means for You Jewish Family Service Austin Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation December 16, 2010 Stacey Pogue, Senior Policy.
What’s Next for the ACA and Health Reform?
How Well Does Insurance Coverage Protect Consumers from Health Care Costs? Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2016 Sara.
Figure 1. Three of Five Health Care Opinion Leaders Feel that Mixed Private-Public Group Insurance Is an Effective Approach to Achieving Universal Health.
Virginia’s Health Insurance Rate Regulations Pre- and Post-ACA
What are the Options for Health Insurance Reform?
Presentation transcript:

Promoting Affordability Perspectives from Massachusetts AUDREY MORSE GASTEIER Chief of Policy and Strategy Massachusetts Health Connector Families USA, Health Action 2019 | January 25, 2019

Health Connector Overview The Health Connector is the state’s health insurance marketplace, offering Massachusetts residents and small businesses a way to understand their health coverage options, access affordability help, and compare and enroll in quality health and dental plans. The Health Connector was created in 2006 as part of a set of state health reforms aimed at increasing access to health insurance in Massachusetts, and later adapted to incorporate the federal health reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) In addition to its role as a place to find and compare coverage, the Health Connector plays an active policy role in Massachusetts’ version of health reform, such as determining the policies that govern the Commonwealth’s requirement to have health insurance Two of the key ways that Massachusetts promotes affordability for residents are through: Our “wrap program” which uses state-financed subsidies on top of ACA subsidies Creates “direct” affordability for enrollees, but also indirectly incentives lower premiums for unsubsidized individuals and small groups, too Our state individual mandate

Health Connector Overview The Health Connector's programs, outreach and public education efforts, and policies have helped Massachusetts lead the nation in coverage rates. 97% More than 97% of Massachusetts residents are insured ¼ Million More than a quarter million Massachusetts residents are served by the Health Connector $332 The Health Connector has the second lowest silver benchmark plan in the country for three years running $385 In 2018, the Health Connector had the lowest average individual premiums of any Exchange in the country, despite otherwise high health care costs

ConnectorCare: Our “State Wrap” Program

ConnectorCare: Our “State Wrap” Program ConnectorCare leverages ACA subsidies, and “wraps” them with additional state subsidies to offer low monthly premiums and point-of- service cost-sharing. For residents <300% FPL eligible for advance premium tax credits. Enrollees are divided into 5 “plan types” based on income Enrollees make per-member premium contributions based on their plan types, in base amounts ranging from $0 to $126/monthly for 2019 Plans have modest co-pays, but no deductibles or coinsurance Makes coverage affordable and accessible for ~200K low and lower-middle income residents that may otherwise struggle to remain covered 2019 ConnectorCare lowest-cost premiums by plan type Plan Types 1 & 2A 0-150% FPL Plan Type 2B 150%-200% FPL Plan Type 3A 200%-250% FPL Plan Type 3B 250%-300% FPL $0 $44 $85 $126

ConnectorCare “Back-End” Design Each ConnectorCare plan is built from a foundation of “ConnectorCare compatible” Silver plans that meet Health Connector specifications. These commercial plans are then enriched according to program standards. Each selected carrier’s lowest-cost Silver tier plan is used as the base for ConnectorCare plans and is enriched with premium and cost-sharing subsidies from the state, in addition to federal advance premium tax credits. The program incorporates multiple financial sources that must, in total, cover the full cost of coverage: Premium = Federal premium tax credits + state premium subsidy + enrollee contributions Cost Sharing = State cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) + enrollee copayments (prior to 2018, also federal CSRs) State premium and cost-sharing subsidies are funded through our Commonwealth Care Trust Fund (CCTF), which gets funding from state tobacco tax, contributions from employers, and penalty revenue via the state individual mandate

Role of State Individual Mandate in Promoting Affordability

Individual Mandate & Affordability Massachusetts’s 12-year-old state-level individual mandate plays a unique role in promoting widespread coverage, but also in promoting affordability. Massachusetts established a state-level individual mandate as part of its 2006 health reform law. While individual mandates are widely understood to promote coverage and ensure risk pool stability, they have other less-discussed, but important benefits related to affordability: Creating ceilings on cost sharing Ability to stem market traction of less robust/”gray market” plans that can leave consumers exposed Outreach capabilities enabled by mandate administration, which in turn helps affordability for those who can be newly enrolled + overall risk pool

Individual Mandate & Affordability The Health Connector plays a key policy role in multiple elements of the state mandate: Minimum Creditable Coverage Affordability Schedule The Health Connector defines the types of insurance plans that are sufficient for individuals to meet minimum creditable coverage (MCC) requirements MCC standards include requirements on what services are covered and what levels of cost sharing are permissible A Massachusetts resident who can afford insurance must have an insurance plan that meets MCC standards or else face a tax penalty under state law Under state law, adult residents must have insurance coverage if it is considered “affordable” The Health Connector annually establishes a schedule of amounts that would be considered an affordable amount to pay for health insurance, based on an individual’s income and household size

Individual Mandate & Cost Sharing Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) allows the state to encourage an upper-bound on cost sharing for individuals complying with the state’s mandate. In addition to requiring that MCC meets key benefits requirements (e.g., hospitalization, Rx, maternity care, etc.), coverage must also meet cost sharing requirements MCC regulations prohibit annual benefit limits on core services and set out parameters for out of pocket spending Compliant plans must cap deductibles at $2,000 for individual coverage and $4,000 for family coverage, with separate prescription drug deductibles capped at $250 for individual coverage and $500 for family coverage The maximum out of pocket amount for a compliant plan may not exceed the maximum defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services each year. (In 2019, this is $7,900 for an individual, and $15,800 for a family.) These requirements effectively encourage our market (across market segments, payers, coverage types, etc.) to offer coverage with relatively modest cost sharing parameters

Individual Mandate & Cost Sharing As states contemplate similar measures that protect against excessive out of pocket spending, they may consider that MCC standards can: Help protect against medical debt and forgone care Can have premium impacts Make it difficult to design low AV/bronze plans

Looking Ahead in Massachusetts Massachusetts’s goals in the coming years as it relates to affordability… Preserving and strengthening our state wrap program Rebolstering awareness of our state-level individual mandate through our #staycovered campaign Intensifying efforts and focus on small business affordability Creative thinking for unsubsidized population exposed to full premiums Learning from other states and thought leaders around the nation

Appendix

ConnectorCare Plan Availability Enrollees can choose from up to 4 carriers, but may pay more based on the plan they select. Region A1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 <100%FPL 2A 100-150% FPL 2B 150-200% FPL 3A 200-250% FPL 3B 250-300% FPL BMC $0 $44 $85 $126 2 Tufts-Direct 3 HNE $122 $121 $168 $210 $254 4 AllWays Health Partners $159 $157 $205 $248 $293 Region C2 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 Fallon $72 $74 $119 $160 $201 4 AllWays Health Partners $195 $190 $238 $278 $321 Region F1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 AllWays Health Partners $211 $210 $257 $299 $344 Region F2 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B AllWays Health Partners $0 $44 $85 $126 Region A2 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B BMC $0 $44 $85 $126 2 Tufts-Direct 3 HNE $122 $121 $168 $210 $254 Region G1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC Region A3 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 HNE $72 $116 $165 $208 $251 Region A4 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B HNE $0 $44 $85 $126 Region B1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Fallon $0 $44 $85 $126 2 Tufts Direct 3 BMC 4 AllWays Health Partners $156 $157 $205 $246 $291 Region D1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 AllWays Health Partners $168 $215 $256 $300 Region G2 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B AllWays Health Partners $0 $44 $85 $126 Region C1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 AllWays Health Partners $195 $190 $238 $278 $321 Region E1 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 AllWays Health Partners $224 $221 $267 $308 $349 Region G3 Enrollee Premium Contribution By Plan Type 1 2A 2B 3A 3B Tufts-Direct $0 $44 $85 $126 2 BMC 3 AllWays Health Partners $235 $276 $323 $366 $413 14

ConnectorCare Financing: 2018-2019 Premium Makeup Cost-Sharing Makeup (AV) Total Premium: $326 99.6% State CSR (-06) ~95% State CSR (-05) ~95% State CSR (-05) 94% Federal CSR (-06) 94% Federal CSR (-06) ~92% State CSR (-04) ~92% State CSR (-04) 87% Federal CSR (-05) 73% Federal CSR (-04) 70% Base Silver (-01) 70% Base Silver (-01) 70% Base Silver (-01) 70% Base Silver (-01) 70% Base Silver (-01) Plan Type 1 <=100% FPL Plan Type 2A 100%-150% FPL Plan Type 2B 150%-200% FPL Plan Type 3A 200%-250% FPL Plan Type 3B 250%-300% FPL Notes: Illustrative rates for a 42-year old in Boston in 2019, with FPL of 75%, 125%, 175%, 225% and 275% Applies maximum APTC and selects lowest-cost plan