“Throughout the rate-setting process, ConnectiCare has emphasized its goal of remaining on the CT health insurance exchange in a manner that is fiscally responsible”, he wrote.
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Connecticare has almost 50,000 customers who obtain their coverage through Access Health CT. “To that end, we have withdrawn our legal appeals with the courts and the department, and we have sent a letter to the exchange rescinding the termination notice that we sent to them on Friday”.
“We have asked Access Health CT to extend their deadline so we can continue to work together to ensure that the over 50,000 Connecticut citizens we serve can keep their health plan”. “GOVERNOR-WYMAN-AND-ACCESS-HEALTH-CEO-WADLEIGH-ON-CONNECTICARE-9.12.pdf” target=”_blank”>issued a joint statement late Monday.
The Insurance Department put out a statement Monday afternoon that said it was still trying to sort out how to handle ConnectictiCare’s request for reconsidering its rate increase request.
Staff at the Access Health CT enrollment center in New Britain preparing for the open enrollment that ended in January.
Insurance regulators approved more double digit rate increases Tuesday for two insurance companies, including Anthem, the only company now participating in Connecticut’s insurance exchange in 2017. We are a national leader in healthcare because we are 100 percent committed to ensuring that CT residents have access to affordable, high quality healthcare.
However, ConnectiCare President and CEO Michael Wise issued a statement indicating the insurer wasn’t getting out just yet. “We raised our concerns regarding the adequacy of the rates that were approved by the Connecticut Insurance Department on September 2, 2016. We pursued all available options for the department to consider additional information that we believe is relevant to setting an adequate rate”. Regulators had approved a 17.4 percent rate increase. The possibility that ConnectiCare would leave the exchange was unsettling to many, as it would have left only one plan, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, in the marketplace. ConnectiCare says that new data became available after August 4 that shows the 17.4 percent request is not adequate.
While we don’t comment on lawsuits, I will say that if ConnectiCare does decide to leave the exchange we’ll adapt to that new landscape.
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ConnectictiCare’s departure comes as two smaller insurers on the exchange – UnitedHealthcare and HealthyCT – have also departed. They insure about 13,000 customers on the exchange, which is about 12 percent of the total.
