Across the Country in ACA World - Sept No. 3

1. The Connecticut Insurance Commissioner issued decisions for 2020 health insurance rates, approving average rate increases of 6.5% for Anthem individual plans, 2.0% for Connecticare plans.  For small group plans, the approved average rate increase was 14.3% for Anthem, 4.8% for Connecticare.
   
   
2. The US Census Bureau released new reports on Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.  The uninsured rate in Connecticut went from 5.5% in 2017 to 5.3% in 2018.  But nationwide, this is the first year-to-year increase in the percent of uninsured since 2008-2009.  Nationwide, the uninsured rate increased from 7.9% in 2017 to 8.5% in 2018. That meant 27.5 million people did not have health insurance at any point during 2018, up from 25.6 million in 2017.  In 2018, 3.3% of people nationwide, or 30.8% of people with direct-purchase insurance, got their coverage through the state or federal health insurance marketplace. Between 2017 and 2018, the percentage of people covered by Medicaid decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 17.9%.  The percentage of people with employment-based coverage, direct-purchase coverage, TRICARE, and VA or CHAMPVA health care did not statistically change. Employer-based insurance remained the most common source of coverage, covering 55.1% of the population for all or part of the calendar year.  See uninsured maps by Connecticut county for 2017.
   
   
3. Connecticut Attorney General files suit to stop Trump 'public charge' rule for immigrants. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently finalized a rule that significantly changes immigration policies related to “public charge” determinations. Under long-established US immigration policies, individuals who are deemed likely to become a “public charge” and require extensive government support can be denied an adjustment of their immigration status (e.g., issued a green card) or entry into the country.  NASHP explains.
   
   
4. According to an August CMS report, Connecticut saw a 30% drop in unsubsidized enrollment from 2017 to 2018 (rank among states = 19).  Unsubsidized enrollment changes ranged from an 85% drop in Iowa to a 7% gain in North Carolina.   The five states experiencing the largest declines include Iowa (-85 percent), Georgia (-60 percent), Nebraska (-59 percent), Tennessee (-53 percent) and Virginia (- 51 percent).
   
   
5. Covered California released regional data behind its 0.8% record-low rate change. 
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6. States Flubbed the Rollout of Their Health Insurance Exchanges. Now They’re Ready to Try Again:  At least six states — Maine, New Mexico, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon and Pennsylvania — are creating their own marketplaces or seriously considering doing so.
   
   
7. All Medicaid expansions are not created equal: A fall 2019 Brookings research paper finds that Medicaid expansion under the ACA tends to be associated with more hospital visits, primarily through ER visits for non-emergency conditions, although that finding did not hold true in Connecticut (I think).   
   
   
8. Pat Baker, President and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation, will retire in June 2020.  The foundation will conduct a national search for her successor.