WASHINGTON, D.C. – With more than a third of the 23 Community Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) created as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) failing — leaving hundreds of thousands of people to search for a new health insurer when the open-enrollment period kicks off next week — a tremendous opportunity for enrollment gains has been created for Blues plans on and off exchanges, Atlantic Information Services, Inc.’s (AIS) The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans predicts in its November 2015 issue.
Published independently by AIS, The AIS Report is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
“I think Blues plans will be happy to scoop up lives [from the CO-OPs], and they are experienced in dealing with the higher risk that might be associated with consumers who will need to transition from a CO-OP plan into another plan,” Christopher Condeluci, a principal at CC Law & Policy in Washington, D.C., tells The AIS Report. Condeluci worked for the Senate Finance Committee during the drafting of the ACA.
Echoing Condeluci, industry consultant Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates LLC, tells The AIS Report that closing CO-OPs “will help Blues plans [in those states] boost their enrollment since their trademark is well known and regarded… something particularly important just after your CO-OP went broke.”
As of this spring, the nation’s CO-OPs collectively had more than 1 million members, according to The AIS Report. Seven of the closing CO-OPs have 400,000 members, combined.
Visit https://aishealth.com/archive/nblu1115-01 to read the article in its entirety, which includes a look at some of the CO-OPs leaving the market and the potential enrollment Blues plans might win.
About The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans: The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans delivers timely news and insightful analysis of new products, market share, strategies, conversions, financing, profitability and strategic alliances of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, which are major players in every U.S. health insurance market. The monthly newsletter is designed for plan managers and others who consider BCBS plans to be partners or competitors. Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/ais-report-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-plans for more information. A thoroughly objective publication, The AIS Report is published independently by AIS and is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
About Atlantic Information Services: Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com.
