HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Thursday the department is making operational changes and meeting with insurers to stimulate competition in Affordable Care Act marketplaces, especially those facing limited health plan options next year, Kaiser Health News reports.
High-profile exchange exits like Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna's and Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHelathcare's may leave a projected one-third of 2017 ACA exchanges with one plan option and high premiums. However, Ms. Burwell said 85 percent of exchange enrollees have received tax credits to limit premium costs.
Ms. Burwell also said HHS and the IRS are collaborating to contact individuals who footed penalties for not purchasing health insurance and provide the individuals with enrollment information. In addition, HHS is working to reduce data matching errors that prevented eligible individuals from enrolling in the past.
Other current HHS efforts to stabilize the market include reaching out to younger, healthier individuals to increase marketplace enrollment when it opens Nov. 1. CMS also released its proposed HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018, which were heavily targeted toward stabilizing exchanges.
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