Here are seven things to watch in the health plan industry this year.
1. Health plan premiums will increase nationwide in 2017, due to medical inflation, pharmaceutical expenses and high-cost claims, Clarity Benefit Solutions predicts.
2. Insurers will deploy more technology services, such as home delivery services for prescriptions and services to accommodate physicians’ use of telehealth.
3. The healthcare market will continue to consolidate as more insurers transition to bundled payments. Clarity Benefit Solutions says several major employers “are set to launch bundle proposals — primarily via narrow network offerings using providers who focus on specialist areas.”
4. The cost of prescription drugs will “dramatically rise,” Clarity Benefit Solutions said.
5. Hospitals will increasingly eye global expansion, such as spreading their footprints through international satellite services.
6. A number of employers will offer on-site primary healthcare locations. Clarity Benefit Solutions said as a result, costs could be lowered and quality increased for health plans.
7. Congress may repeal the Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act, which increased tax credits for individuals purchasing health plans on the ACA marketplace. “If HERA is repealed, millions of people who used to have healthcare coverage will no longer have it. This will have a huge impact on the industry and the effects will be felt long into the future,” Clarity Benefit Solutions said.
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