Is Blue Cross Available in Tn for 2020 Obama Care
Open enrollment for insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace starts Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15.
Here's what to look for in 2020.
Blue Cross back in Nashville, Memphis
In 2019, two new companies began selling plans in Tennessee — Bright in three metropolitan markets and Celtic in two — and Oscar and Cigna expanded their coverage areas. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee offered insurance everywhere but Nashville and Memphis, but that changes for 2020 — the company will expand back into those markets.
For 2020, Celtic will offer plans in Nashville and Knoxville areas also, and Cigna will add the Chattanooga and Jackson areas to its offerings.
That means most counties will have at least two options, and some will have even more — a big change from just two years ago, when many counties had only one option.
In Knoxville, Blue Cross Blue Shield Tennessee, Bright, Celtic and Cigna will offer plans; in Nashville, BCBST, Bright, Celtic, Cigna and Oscar; in Chattanooga, Blue Cross, Celtic and Cigna; in the Tri-Cities, Blue Cross and Cigna; and in Memphis, BCBST, Bright, Celtic, Cigna and Oscar.
Rates more stable
Last year, the two largest individual market plan insurers — Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna — had a significant premium decrease, averaging 14.9% and 12.8%, respectively.
Significantly lower premiums may sound positive, but lower premiums can also mean lower subsidies for those who receive them. About 86% of Tennesseans who have health coverage through Affordable Care Act exchange plans have subsidies to help them pay for it.
For 2020, insurers in the state filed an overall average rate decrease of 1.1%, so premiums shouldn't be much different from last year's.
Still, given new options and rate changes, advocates continue to urge consumers to shop around for plans, rather than simply "auto-renewing" their current plans.
Fewer enrollees, cheaper plans
In 2018, nearly 229,000 Tennesseans enrolled in ACA marketplace insurance plans, a slight decrease from 2017, though it varied widely across the state. In 2019, the number decreased further, to 221,553, possible because the tax bill signed in 2017 to eliminate the individual mandate — the requirement that all Americans, with few exceptions, carry health insurance — took effect.
When it was enacted, the ACA established rules insurance plans must meet in order to be compliant — covering a list of "minimum essential benefits," not excluding patients based on medical history, not charging older or sicker people higher premiums, and covering at least 60 percent of average medical costs and spending most of the amount of premiums on claims, not other expenses.
Beginning last year, plans that don't meet those requirements — such as those purchased by organizations through an association — are available, and the length of "short-term" plans intended to fill in gaps between full insurance has been extended from three months maximum to one day short of a year. These plans are likely to be less expensive but may have exclusions from coverage, such as pre-existing conditions.
How to enroll
Enrollment in Tennessee's federally run Marketplace can be done through www.healthcare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596.
But trained volunteers can help people enroll at a number of planned events through December, starting with a kickoff noon-6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 1807 Dandridge Ave.
If you bring the necessary paperwork, the enrollment process can take less than an hour.
Tennessee Health Care Campaign offers enrollment assistance by phone, 844-644-5443, or online. Cherokee Health also offers phone enrollment, at 1-866-672-1979.
Scheduled events are:
- Cherokee Health System, 2018 Western Ave.: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 2, 23 and Dec. 7; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 15.
- Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 1807 Dandridge Ave.: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 9 and 16 and Dec. 14.
- Sevier County Public Library, 408 High St., Sevierville: 3-6 Nov. 4, 3-7 p.m. Dec. 2 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 7.
- Sevierville Senior Center, 1220 W. Main St., Sevierville: 1-3 p.m. Nov. 6, 13 and 20 and Dec. 4 and 11.
- South Knox Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike: 3-6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and 14 and Dec. 5 and 12.
- Blount County Library, 508 North Cusick St., Maryville: 3-7 p.m. Nov. 12 and 25 and Dec. 9.
Spanish language translation will be available at the events at Blount County public library, Cherokee Health, Mt. Calvary Baptist, Sevier County public library and Sevierville Senior Center, and on Nov. 14 at South Knox Community Center.
Source: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/health/2019/10/30/aca-obamacare-open-enrollment-tennessee-health-insurance-plans-help/2497692001/
0 Response to "Is Blue Cross Available in Tn for 2020 Obama Care"
Post a Comment