Iowa Health Insurance Exchange

[timsip]

This has big ramifications in Iowa:

http://www.press-citizen.com/articl...increase-next-year-individuals-small-business

Damn you Bill! You beat me to this! I read this at a lunch on my phone about an hour ago and just got back and was going to post this!

Thanks though! If Wellmark does decide not to participate, that will be huge for me. This is the one carrier that I would find to be a threat to my strategy. I only need to hear from one other carrier to solidify my plan to work inside the exchange. Well, that and hear about comp. Of the three I contract with in Iowa, Coventry is in, Assurant is out and GR is unknown as of yet. With Wellmark possibly out, my future could look even brighter.

 

[anonymous1]

Interesting. 20 characters

 

[Yagents]

Let the record show, that Tim sent me an email asking me to post the article for him since he was in a meeting.

 

[AllenChicago]

This has big ramifications in Iowa:

http://www.press-citizen.com/articl...increase-next-year-individuals-small-business

Excerpt: ""David Lyons, chief executive officer of CoOportunity Health, said he fears that Wellmark is trying to discourage its current customers from even looking at other options that will be available on the exchange. “If someone’s telling you that you shouldn’t shop, that’s wrong,” he said."

The above mindless comment by David Lyons is typical of what Progressive Democrat leadership of all the state CoOps are saying when faced with competition. Competition that these CoOps were designed to foster, mind you. My heart will cheer with joy as they fail..one by one, state by state!
-ac
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wellmark also said on Tuesday that they will allow customers to adjust their 2013 plan renewal date.
Source: Iowa health insurer to seek smaller rate hikes - THonline.com: Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin

Excerpt: "Separately, Wellmark said Tuesday it would offer individual and small business group members the option of keeping current health insurance plans through Dec. 31, 2014, rather than be required to switch to new, more expensive plans that have the mandatory benefits required under the Affordable Care Act."

BRAVO Wellmark!

 

[timsip]

Excerpt: ""David Lyons, chief executive officer of CoOportunity Health, said he fears that Wellmark is trying to discourage its current customers from even looking at other options that will be available on the exchange. “If someone’s telling you that you shouldn’t shop, that’s wrong,” he said."

The above mindless comment by David Lyons is typical of what Progressive Democrat leadership of all the state CoOps are saying when faced with competition. Competition that these CoOps were designed to foster, mind you. My heart will cheer with joy as they fail..one by one, state by state!
-ac
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wellmark also said on Tuesday that they will allow customers to adjust their 2013 plan renewal date.
Source: Iowa health insurer to seek smaller rate hikes - THonline.com: Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin

Excerpt: "Separately, Wellmark said Tuesday it would offer individual and small business group members the option of keeping current health insurance plans through Dec. 31, 2014, rather than be required to switch to new, more expensive plans that have the mandatory benefits required under the Affordable Care Act."

BRAVO Wellmark!

Interestingly enough, I attended several meetings at the statehouse so I could take notes and follow up with law makers to help mold our state exchange that we hope to start in 2015; at these meetings, a representative of this Co-op insisted on being a part of the committee that created the exchange. I am sure he would make sure everything was on the up and up and would foster equal competition.

On a side note, the committee chairman grilled this guy asking him that hypothetically, if your company was the only player, would it be solvent enough to handle all the claims. The guy stammered and stuttered about federal grants. If this Co-op was the only player, they would go under in a manner of months!

 

[Yagents]

Anybody want to play in Iowa?

Gerhart trying to beef up Iowa exchange offerings | LifeHealthPro

 

[anonymous1]

Nope. Let the exchange crash and burn lol. I dont think Coventry will be ready if they are the only one. I do write them and have bcbs should be interesting

 

[timsip]

Before the end of the year, and before open enrollment, insurers in Iowa must tell policyholders what their rate will be if they continue with what they have, and that they may or may not qualify for tax credit, so they can make a fully-informed decision.

If Coventry is the only carrier in the exchange, with the above quote and the medicaid expansion signed, everyone will know my business name, my name, my phone number and will be able to get health insurance. Life is good.

 

[AllenChicago]

As of Saturday 6/29/2013, Wellmark and UnitedHealth still have not committed, yet the deadline for committing is tomorrow. You would think that these two companies would not wait until the last day if they were planning on participating in the Iowa Exchange-Marketplace? I thought the national deadline for a YES/NO was back on April 30th.

"DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowans should soon know more about what they can expect to find on the new health exchange, though whether the state's two largest carriers will participate remains unclear.

Sunday June 30th is the deadline for insurance carriers to file to be included in the online marketplace for Iowa. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart says he expects to release the insurance providers' names on Monday, though the details on the specific plan proposals will come later.

Representatives for Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare - which combined hold roughly 90 percent of the Iowa insurance market - declined to comment on their intentions.

Gerhart says he expect a few statewide providers to be available, but doesn't know if the big two will opt in."

Source: Health Exchange Deadline for Sunday | KCRG-TV9 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather | Local News
-ac

 

[timsip]

Thanks, Allen. I was just coming in for a second to post a similar story from my local news station that I have been posting all over my networking sites. Tomorrow begins the strategizing. I don't know of many other brokers that have been preparing in overdrive like we have here. I know there are a couple of Iowa agents here and if positioned correctly (with Coventry), we could be in for a busy enrollment period!

I can't put the odds better than even for Wellmark. It would surprise me if they didn't jump in because they stand to lose a lot of business as they hold the highest percentage of the market. They are following United Health's renewal strategy, but they seem to have a lot of unhappy customers with the recent years rate increases. The only reason many have stayed is because of underwriting. Now that that obstacle is out of the way and subsidies may be available, they stand to be in a position where many might migrate away.

Interestingly the last two cycles they have not had to send out rebates, so it would seem that the increased rates are due to increasingly poor health of it's members. Maybe this is how they plan on dumping their higher risk members. It may be all part of their strategy.

United Health, well we all know that they are very conservative for 2014. They are keeping their lower risk members with their renewal strategy and lowing their exposure by being very selective in where they are participating. I don't expect to see them, but if they choose to, great!