NC 4th highest in subsidized plans under Affordable Care Act
Published September 9, 2015
by Emory Dalesio, Associated Press, published on WRAL.com, September 8, 2015.
Demand remained high this year in North Carolina for subsidized health insurance policies purchased under provisions of the federal overhaul law pushed by President Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
Nearly 460,000 North Carolina residents were paying for policies they bought on a health insurance marketplace at the end of June. That was down from 492,000 at the end of March, but it trailed only California, Florida and Texas.
About 92 percent of North Carolina policyholders qualified for financial help to pay their premiums, trailing only Mississippi and Wyoming for the highest rate of consumers receiving subsidies.
Nationally, about 9.9 million people enrolled in and paid for plans, with 85 percent receiving tax subsidies to help cover the cost.
The credits averaged $315 per month in North Carolina, while the national monthly average is $270.
The details were released as insurers, regulators and advocates gear up for the third year policies are sold on marketplaces created by the federal Affordable Care Act, which some have nicknamed "Obamacare."
Insurance "rates have been approved for all insurers intending to sell coverage on the exchange," but won't be announced publically until the end of October, state Insurance Department spokeswoman Kerry Hall said Monday. Because North Carolina is one of the states using the federal website, HealthCare.gov, insurers also must get federal approval before the start of enrollment season Nov. 1, she said.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina spokeswoman Ryan Vulcan wouldn't say whether the company's request to raise premiums by an average 35 percent has been approved. The company said in June that it wanted to raise rates by an average of almost 26 percent starting in January, compared with this year's allowed 13.5 percent increase.
Blue Cross said last month it's also cutting offerings in 16 counties including the Research Triangle and Charlotte regions.
UnitedHealthcare and Coventry Health Care also offered marketplace policies in North Carolina this year and plan to do so again in 2016. Coventry, a division of Aetna Inc., requested rate increases of between 17.2 percent and 25.8 percent. UnitedHealthcare wants an average 12.5 percent rate increase.
A group of 14 health care, social service and legal aid organizations received more than $2.6 million in federal funding to help North Carolina residents sign up for health insurance, part of $67 million the federal health agency distributed nationally.
