Price Hikes And Fewer Options Mean Another Chaotic ACA Enrollment Period

As if higher premiums weren’t bad enough, several insurance companies have announced they will pull out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. 

NBC News reports that Congress’s refusal to renew pandemic-era subsidies for the ACA marketplace has had a long, cascading effect. Prices went up significantly last year as a result of the subsidies expiring, which led to a large number of people being unable to renew their plans. Those who did get insurance in the ACA marketplace went for cheaper, but worse coverage that was still more expensive than what they were paying for previously. 

That combination of factors creates a scenario that isn’t terribly profitable for insurance providers. So, sadly, it should come as no surprise that 11 insurance companies have announced they will be leaving the ACA marketplace. The companies that remain are raising prices by up to 15%, marking the second year in a row the marketplace has seen a double-digit price hike. 

Cigna is one of several insurance providers leaving the ACA, and a spokesperson pointed NBC News to comments CEO Brian Evanko made in April. Evanko said that leaving the ACA marketplace aligns with goals to position the company’s “core healthcare businesses for sustainable growth.”

Love that our ability to take care of ourselves in the event of sickness or emergency is completely dictated by corporate asshats who simply see us as numbers on a spreadsheet. 

“The main takeaway is that more insurance companies are leaving the marketplace than coming in,” said Cynthia Cox, director of the program on the ACA at KFF. 

Open enrollment for ACA insurance started this weekend, and it’s already getting off to a rocky start. I can tell that the Trump administration hasn’t prioritized keeping up the ACA website, as each time I try to log in, I’ve had to wait up to 30 minutes for them to send me my security code. After finally getting in and going through the application, there are far fewer options than years prior, with the remaining plans being prohibitively expensive. 

“This is going to create a lot of discontinuities in care and coverage for people,” said Miranda Yaver, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh. “If you have a doctor who doesn’t accept the fewer number of options that are available to you, that can be very disruptive, especially if you’re someone who has a chronic illness.”

“And if the fewer available price points don’t work for you, are you going to remain covered?” she added.

Which is exactly the predicament your boy is facing. I’m currently paying about $185 each month for a piss poor bronze plan. That very same plan will now cost me $322 a month, which I straight up won’t be able to afford even with working two jobs. So it’s either go uninsured, or hope to god I find a job that provides benefits. 

Remember benefits? If only I knew in my twenties how good I had it by being able to work one job that had insurance and covered my monthly expenses. If this was President Donald Trump’s idea of making America great, then I’d hate to see what his idea of awful is. 

SEE ALSO:

Double-Digit Increase In ACA Premiums Expected Next Year

Obtaining ACA Insurance Is Expensive, Complex, And Maddening