Some health plans for Virginians being canceled

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.文件倉Nov. 07--While some states let insurance companies amend existing health policies to meet Affordable Care Act standards, Virginia regulators required companies to build new policies from scratch.Either way, the net effect is the same -- thousands of people in Virginia and elsewhere are getting notices that their existing plans will no longer be offered after Jan. 1 or the next time they are up for renewal.A spokesman for the state Bureau of Insurance said Virginia regulators took that approach to make it easier for consumers."The purpose was to basically help people from being confused," said Kenneth Schrad, spokesman for the State Corporation Commission, which oversees the Bureau of Insurance."Rather than getting a bunch of amendments on their existing policy," the bureau felt it would be more helpful to consumers to offer a "new clean policy that would include the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act to be effective Jan. 1, 2014," Schrad said.Whether existing plans were amended or canceled is irrelevant, said Doug Gray, executive director of the Virginia Association of Health Plans, a trade association for insurance companies."They were no longer offered and replaced with plans that do meet the law," he said. "It wasn't optional to meet the new requirements of the law."The Affordable Care Act requires policies to cover so-called "essential benefits." In addition, insurance carriers cannot refuse to cover people because they have had previous medical problems. Insurance companies can consider a person's age, where they live and whether they smoke in setting premium prices.Jill Hanken, an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said people with individual policies typically have faced policy changes every year. In addition, she said, individual policies have tended to be expensive with limited coverage and excluded coverage of pre-existing conditions."Individuals can now shop for comprehensive coverage that covers pre-existing conditions. If financially eligible, they can get tax credits to help cover their premiums and protections from high cost sharing," Hanken said."There's plenty of time for people to check out their new options, and I expect many will be pleasantly surprised by the quality and cost," she said.Gray said the individual health insurance market is about 10 to 12 percent of the health insurance market in Virginia. (Most people younger than 65 get health insurance through their jobs, where health plans are typically renewed every year during an open-enrollment period where changes to coverage and cost are explained.)While some states have reported estimated numbers of people who are getting cancellation notices as a result of the Affordable Care Act's new standards for health policies, the Virginia Bureau of Insurance does not track or tally those numbers."There is no requirement for 存倉n insurance company to advise the bureau of the number of non-renewals/cancellations when a company decides to discontinue offering a particular type of health insurance coverage," Schrad said."Only if a carrier was withdrawing from the health insurance market would it indicate to the bureau the number of policyholders that would be impacted by such a market withdrawal," he said.An Anthem spokesman said the company was not disclosing how many people were sent cancellation notices. A spokesman at Aetna was not able to immediately provide a figure.The new plans are causing some consumers to have "sticker shock" over the higher premiums for some new plans, which may offer a richer set of benefits -- services some people don't necessarily want but the law requires insurers to include.Robert Watkinson, an independent contractor who lives in Goochland County, received notice from Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in early October about his and his wife's individual policies.The premium for her policy will increase as of Dec. 1, but the particular plan she is on will go away altogether in 2014 when she is up for renewal. She can stay on it until then or she can shop now for a new plan.Watkinson said his policy is being "grandfathered" in because it was in place and is unchanged since March 23, 2010, so he can keep it.He said he felt compelled to write his congressman since the letter contradicted President Barack Obama's oft-repeated claim that if you like your plan, you can keep it."My point to Congressman (Eric) Cantor was I feel like I have had my ability to control what I am purchasing taken away from me," Watkinson said."I believe that everyone in this country should be able to obtain affordable health care," he said. "I was taken aback a little bit when I got this letter."The House of Representatives, which has voted more than 40 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, is considering legislation to delay part of it.Cantor tweeted Wednesday that the "Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013," which would allow plans available on the individual market today to be offered next year, will go for a vote next week. The legislation was introduced by Michigan Republican Fred Upton.Gray, of the Virginia Association of Health Plans, called discussions about letting people keep noncompliant plans for another year "ridiculous.""We have been implementing this law for three years, changed all of our systems, all of our approaches to underwriting based on the new rules," Gray said."None of this is new. Everybody knew that we changed the law and when it was taking effect. Pretending to be surprised when your plan is canceled and replaced with (one that meets the new law) is silly," he said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) Visit the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) at .timesdispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存