Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

CT insurance customers, advocates urge regulators to reject rate hikes

  • Health
  • by Clarice Silber and CTMirror Contributor
  • September 5, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Clarice Silber :: CTMirror.org

Paul Lombardo, flanked by other Connecticut Insurance Department staff, speaks during the public hearing on Wednesday.

Connecticut insurance customers and health care advocates on Wednesday urged state regulators to reject proposals to raise rates next year.

Those calls surfaced during a Connecticut Insurance Department hearing focused on
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and ConnectiCare Benefits Inc.’s proposed increases for individual plans. Anthem and ConnectiCare have requested 9.1 and 13 percent increases, respectively, for their individual plans.

Along with individual plan proposals, the carriers also filed rate increase requests for small group plans—both types are marketed through Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange. The department made the filings public in July.

Marc Sandy Block of Weston testified Wednesday on behalf of his son, who works two jobs for nonprofit organizations and needs affordable health care. Block said his son cannot afford to pay more for his health insurance.

“I would also like to suggest health care is not a privilege for a slice of the community, but for everyone, and for that reason I think affordability is an appropriate consideration here,” Block said.

Block asked if any money derived from increased rates would go toward improving provider lists, stating insurance shouldn’t only be affordable but accessible.

The requests from the insurance carriers are, on average, lower than last year, according to the department. The proposed average individual rate increase request is 12.3 percent, compared to 25.51 percent last year. The proposed average small group rate increase is 10.22 percent, compared to the 18.06 increase last year.

Steven Ribeiro, the regional vice-president of sales for Anthem, said the company has continued to experience rising health care costs, and predicts the individual market will keep shrinking while people with greater health care needs retain their coverage.

“The uncertainty faced in 2019 is driven in large part by the individual mandate penalty being removed and the potential shift of members due to changes in federal guidance in the individual market,” Ribeiro said.

ConnectiCare Chief Operating Officer Robert Kosier echoed those concerns, and stated the carrier has seen enrollment in the individual market decrease by 25 percent in the last three years.

“These individuals tend to be younger and healthier, resulting in higher costs for those who remain in the individual market,” Kosier said. “We expect that the removal of the financial penalties associated with the original mandate will further accelerate this trend.”

Clarice Silber :: CTMirror.org

Rep. Tom Delnicki, R-South Windsor tells representatives from Anthem and ConnectiCare not to raise rates during the public hearing on Wednesday.

Rep. Tom Delnicki, R-South Windsor, said the situation serves as “a self-fulfilling prophecy—as rate increases go up, participation goes down.”

“If you want to keep people in and buying ConnectiCare and Anthem plans, you can’t have these double digit, or nearly double digit increases,” Delnicki said. “I hear it almost every day from the people in my district that they have to make very difficult choices. Are they going to buy food, buy clothes for the kids, or pay for the plan?”

Rose Ferraro of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut said advocates understand rate review is an actuarial exercise for regulators, but noted “rising premiums are not an abstract math problem for families.” Ferraro urged the stakeholders to address consumer affordability.

“Rates could go up on average anywhere from 9 to 13 percent, but people are not getting a 9 to 13 percent raise in their paycheck,” Ferraro said.

The department plans to make final rulings in September. Open enrollment for the 2019 coverage year begins on Nov. 1.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clarice Silber

CTMirror Contributor

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Biden moves to overturn Trump birth control rules
by Julie Rovner | Kaiser Health News

The Biden administration has formally proposed the repeal of Trump-era regulations barring abortion referrals.

New Britain residents weren’t getting vaccinated. So city officials got creative.
by Dave Altimari

The city's efforts are a microcosm of what is happening across the country as officials struggle to vaccinate vulnerable residents.

Can independent primary care doctors survive dominance of hospital health systems?
by Peggy McCarthy | C-HIT.ORG

hospital systems and private businesses are increasingly buying private medical practices and taking over their business operations.

Nearly three quarters of eligible CT residents expected to be vaccinated by end of April
by Jenna Carlesso

Since Thursday, 50,000 residents age 16 to 44 – the newest group granted access – received a first dose of the vaccine.

With demand for community health workers rising, so does need for sustainable funding
by Cara Rosner | C-HIT.ORG

New Haven Community Health Worker (CHW) Katia Astudillo helps dozens of her clients navigate the logistics of getting vaccinated and connects them with other health services. She even helps them find rental assistance. In and around New London, CHW Lizbeth Polo-Smith hands out flyers about COVID-19 safety and vaccinations at churches, laundromats, stores, warming centers […]

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Opinion Connecticut, be a International leader against hair discrimination among children
by Faith D. Crittenden, Jade A. Anderson, MD, and Whitney L. Stuard

On March 1, 2020, Connecticut became the eighth state to pass the Crown Act, a national legislative movement that recognizes natural hair and cultural headwear discrimination as a form of racial discrimination in the workplace. While we are  in strong support and advocate for this law, it is important to recognize the limitations of the Crown Act and how it can be improved upon in future policy.

Opinion Three lessons for schools across America from Secretary Cardona’s hometown
by Mark Benigni

Over the past decade, Meriden Public Schools -- where U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona served as assistant superintendent -- has become a unique laboratory for new ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. And many of those ideas have paid off.

Opinion A healthcare system too broken to fix
by Sosena Kedebe MD

On March 25, the White house announced that it was going to invest over $6 billion in health centers that are funded through the Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to expand COVID-19 vaccinations and other health services provided to vulnerable populations. As a chief medical officer for a health center that is strained to reach some of the most disenfranchised patient population in Hartford, this was great news. Yet there was a part of me that took the news with a deep concern. Why you might ask?

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO