Armed With More Data, Analysts Alter COVID-19 Cost Forecasts
As the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up in the U.S. in early spring, actuaries and analysts raced to develop estimates of how the disease associated with this new coronavirus would impact health care costs. Now, with cas...
So Far, Only New York Sees Double-Digit Rate Requests
Six states in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest have now released initial premium rate requests from individual and small-group health plans. And although both regions have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, ...
Indiana Subsidy for Private Insurance ‘Doesn’t Go Very Far’
Indiana on May 29 received CMS approval for a Section 1115 waiver demo that allows residents moving from Medicaid expansion to commercial plans to spend up to $1,000 of funds stored in quasi-HSA accounts on insuranc...
MCO Stock Performance, May 2020
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Health Insurers Could See Net Gain From COVID-19 Pandemic
The estimated costs for treating COVID-19 could range from $60.2 billion to $182.2 billion over 2020 and 2021 combined, under a baseline risk scenario with a U.S. infection rate of 20%, according to an updated analy...
News Briefs
✦ The annual estimated cost for COVID-19 diagnostic testing ranges from $6.0 billion to $25.1 billion, while the estimated cost for antibody testing ranges from $5.2 billion to $19.1 billion. That’s according to...
Health Insurers Extend COVID-19 Cost-Sharing Waivers
As part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many insurers waived member cost sharing for health care services and treatment related to the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Those waivers were generally ...
Pandemic Presents Barriers, Opportunities for Public Option
To some policy experts, the COVID-19 pandemic offers a chance to rethink the national debate over universal health coverage — potentially bolstering the case for a Medicare for All system or a public option that p...
Private Exchanges for Retirees Get Second Look From Employers
Private exchange solutions for both early retiree and Medicare-eligible retiree health benefits are seeing a resurgence, driven by attractive pricing in the Medicare Advantage (MA) space and a more stable individual...
State-Based Marketplaces Enroll Thousands During Special Enrollment Periods
by Jinghong Chen
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, 12 out of 13 state-based marketplaces — all but Idaho’s marketplace — offered a new special enrollment period (SEP) for residents to sign up for covera...