PA Gearing Up to Cover High-Risk Cases

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

When I was in Harrisburg last week, I picked up some "Nibbles with Gibbles" chips or something like that. Is that a Pa chip?

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

http://www.insurance-forums.net/forum/stop-approved-sti-crap-thread21978.html#post274925

 

[Norwayguy]

This past Friday, the feds approved the plan and yesterday (Monday) the state said it will seek proposals from insurance companies to handle this. The Insurance Commissioner, Joel Ario, said, "The program will provide critical bridge coverage to uninsured individuals between now and 2014." Part of the $160 million dollar fund from the feds will go to the adminstrator.The plan is expected to cover a whooping 5,600 uninsured Pennsylvanians.

Currently PA has no high-risk pool, although Blue Cross insurers must offer coverage to all regardless of health status. However, PA does have a subsidized health insurance plan called adultBasic. It has almost 50,000 low income enrollees who pay $36 monthly. It also has a waiting list of nearly 400,000 who until this March paid $313 monthly. It then was increased to $600 monthly. As of July 1st it will increase again to $629 per month.

Did I read this correctly that PA will spend 160 million of Federal money to insure 5,600 people? Has anyone done the math when we cove the 30-40 million extra nationally?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

It's just over $28,000 per person which I think is pretty much on the money for covering the sickest people in the state.

If PA wanted to cover 400,000 people under this program it would cost 11,200,000,000.

 

[Norwayguy]

It's just over $28,000 per person which I think is pretty much on the money for covering the sickest people in the state.

If PA wanted to cover 400,000 people under this program it would cost 11,200,000,000.

I wonder what premiums these people will pay.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

If I read correctly the max rating over standard rates is 1:4.

http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/initiative/hi_risk_pool_facts.html


Premiums

Premiums in the high risk pool will be affordable for participants to ensure that those who have been locked out of the insurance market have access to high-quality insurance. Premiums must be set so that they:

Equal a standard rate for a standard population (that is, not exceed 100 percent of the standard non-group rate); and
Do not vary by age by more than 4 to 1.

 

[dgoldenz]

It's just over $28,000 per person which I think is pretty much on the money for covering the sickest people in the state.

If PA wanted to cover 400,000 people under this program it would cost 11,200,000,000.

That's $28,000 spread over 3.5 years though. I would bet covering 5600 people in a risk pool will cost much more than $7k/year per person in claims.

 

[Norwayguy]

That's $28,000 spread over 3.5 years though. I would bet covering 5600 people in a risk pool will cost much more than $7k/year per person in claims.

I believe Dirigo in Maine runs about 60 Million a year currently covers 7,500 people and this is not a risk pool and covers the general population with subsidies for low income....was supposed to cover well over 150K peoplle by now...Actually covered about 30k people and has been declining for years with enrollments frozen.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

7K per person on average wouldn't even begin to touch the costs. Funding will dry up within 2 years and as noted on the HHS site, premiums cannot be higher than standard underwritten premiums.

 

[medx]

what a mess.

 

[HealthGuy]

Maybe ol' hag Sebelius can dry hump Papa Obama's leg for more Obama care funding? Who are the idiots that voted this failure into the White House? Is it too late for our population to wise up? This whole year and a half has been so nauseating. Mentally, I'm done with it. Living with Obama's unintended (or designed) consequenses for years however will be a b@#ch. We are going to be living with high unemployment and inflation for some time. We can't get this three ring circus voted out fast enough.