Nevada and Centene Reach Agreement on Insurance Markets
August 15 2017 - 6:23PM
Dow Jones News
By Melanie Evans
Centene Corp. has agreed to enter the Affordable Care Act
health-insurance exchange in 14 Nevada counties where consumers had
faced no options next year, leaving two counties nationwide bare of
insurers willing to sell exchange plans.
The agreement, announced by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Tuesday,
is the latest to be brokered between state officials and insurance
companies in states where next year's exchange markets were at risk
of being deserted. That would have left consumers unable to buy
health insurance that is eligible for federal premium and
cost-sharing subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
Roughly 8,000 consumers in Nevada were at risk of losing access
to health plans on the exchange after Anthem Inc. and Prominence
Health Plan said in June they would exit markets in 14 counties.
Insurers can hold off on final decisions to participate in
exchanges until late September, but many have exited markets,
citing volatility and prolonged uncertainty about the White House's
support for the markets.
The Trump administration hasn't said whether it will continue
subsidies that help pay for low-income consumers' out-of-pocket
costs.
St. Louis-based Centene's entry into those counties will ensure
consumers "have the ability to exercise their option to utilize
Nevada's online marketplace and secure coverage for their
families," Mr. Sandoval said in a statement announcing the
news.
Expanded coverage in Nevada leaves only two counties --
Menominee County, in Wisconsin, and Paulding County, in Ohio,
potentially without insurers in ACA exchanges, according to the
Kaiser Family Foundation.
Centene's managed-care subsidiary, SilverSummit Healthplan, will
offer plans in exchange markets across all 17 Nevada counties as
part of the agreement. "We strive to be a responsible partner with
the state and are committed to working closely with regulators and
policy makers to be able to offer affordable coverage options for
Nevada residents," Garrett Leaf, president and CEO of SilverSummit,
said in a statement.
Last month, Ohio's insurance regulator said Centene Corp. and
four other insurers would expand into counties where consumers were
at risk for no options.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 15, 2017 18:08 ET (22:08 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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