The health insurance plan selected by Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act insurance exchange as its “benchmark” is no longer affordable to the extent it is no longer even for sale, first reported by Trudy Lieberman writing for the Columbia Journalism Review.
Josh Archambault gives an overview at Forbes:
Trudy Lieberman of the Columbia Journalism Review uncovered a problem in the Nutmeg State that is likely to become more prevalent in states as premiums go up with the additional market regulations required under the ACA. She asks the question: What happens when your “benchmark plan” to be sold in a state exchange, and outlines the essential health benefits that will be required of all plans, is no longer competitive? Connecticut faces just this problem.
Lieberman reports:
But: the biggest news of the December meeting came when board chairman Kevin Counihan announced: “We have a benchmark plan that is uncompetitive. When we adopted it, it was [competitive]. It isn’t now, because it’s too expensive.”
In fact, according to board minutes, ConnectiCare currently doesn’t even sell it. What? The benchmark on which all other policies sold in the exchange will be based is too costly for people to buy?