In ACA marketplace, more discount counties -- but which counties count?
xpostfactoid.substack.com
Taking the country as a whole, are ACA marketplace offerings more or less attractive to prospective enrollees, subsidized and unsubsidized, in 2019 than in 2018? The question takes on urgency as a lag in on-exchange enrollment persists into week 4 of Open Enrollment for 2019. In the 39 states using HealthCare.gov, enrollment is down 11% compared to this time last year. If plan offerings are roughly equal in value to last year's, depressed enrollment could easily be accounted for by repeal of the individual mandate penalty, establishment of a parallel lightly regulated, medically underwritten "short-term plan" market, and further drastic cuts to federal spending on enrollment assistance and advertising. Still, in 2018 the windfall bargains generated by silver loading (see note at bottom) partly offset the prior round of Trump administration sabotage, and the question lingers whether something similar may happen this year.
In ACA marketplace, more discount counties -- but which counties count?
In ACA marketplace, more discount counties …
In ACA marketplace, more discount counties -- but which counties count?
Taking the country as a whole, are ACA marketplace offerings more or less attractive to prospective enrollees, subsidized and unsubsidized, in 2019 than in 2018? The question takes on urgency as a lag in on-exchange enrollment persists into week 4 of Open Enrollment for 2019. In the 39 states using HealthCare.gov, enrollment is down 11% compared to this time last year. If plan offerings are roughly equal in value to last year's, depressed enrollment could easily be accounted for by repeal of the individual mandate penalty, establishment of a parallel lightly regulated, medically underwritten "short-term plan" market, and further drastic cuts to federal spending on enrollment assistance and advertising. Still, in 2018 the windfall bargains generated by silver loading (see note at bottom) partly offset the prior round of Trump administration sabotage, and the question lingers whether something similar may happen this year.