Delaware News

Commissioner Stewart Submits Rate Filings for 2015 Marketplace Plans to CMS for Review; Includes Plans with Reduced Rates

Insurance Commissioner | News | Date Posted: Friday, August 8, 2014



Dover, DE–Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart, CIR-ML, announced that the Delaware Department of Insurance will submit the 2015 rate filing requests covering plans to be offered on Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, today. Commissioner Stewart reviewed the filings submitted by the insurers and successfully worked with one of the insurance companies to reduce the requested rate increase of some plans.

Commissioner Stewart stated, “The Department of Insurance is tasked with protecting consumers and we go about our work with the best interest of Delaware’s consumers in mind. The department strives to strike a balance between protecting consumers and ensuring that insurance carriers are able to generate the necessary revenues to meet their financial obligations. I am very pleased that one of the insurance companies worked with us to lower their requested rate increase from the rate originally submitted.”

The Commissioner also noted that, “Overall, we are pleased to see more plans offered on the market and the requested rate increases were generally lower than what some other states have seen.”  The Health Insurance Marketplace will offer 25 plans for individuals this year, four more than were available during this past enrollment period. There will be 16 small business group plans to choose from for 2015, up from 11 this year.

Rate filing requests from the insurance companies that will be offering plans on the Marketplace were received by the Delaware Department of Insurance in June and were reviewed by the department’s actuaries to see if the requested changes in rates were justified. The rate filings were posted on the Department of Insurance website in July and public comments were accepted for a two week period. The rate filings will now be submitted to CMS for review. CMS has the final authority to approve or deny the requested rates. A response from CMS is expected sometime in late October or early November, ahead of the start of the open enrollment period which begins November 15.

The open enrollment period for individuals who wish to purchase health insurance plans through the state/federal Health Insurance Marketplace will begin on November 15, 2014, and will end February 15, 2015. Consumers can utilize www.choosehealthde.com or call 1-800-318-2596 to get information or enroll in a plan for 2015. It should be noted that the Delaware Department of Insurance does not administer or provide customer support for the state’s website, www.choosehealthde.com, or the federal website, www.healthcare.gov.

For help with insurance matters, such as questions about your health insurance after you have enrolled in a plan, call the Delaware Department of Insurance at (302) 674-7300 or (800) 282-8611 for Consumer Services. Visit our website, www.delawareinsurance.gov, and “Like” the Department on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/DelawareInsurance. Follow us on Twitter @Delaware_DOI.

###

Delaware Department of Insurance: “Protecting Delawareans through regulation and education while providing oversight of the insurance industry to best serve the public.”

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

Commissioner Stewart Submits Rate Filings for 2015 Marketplace Plans to CMS for Review; Includes Plans with Reduced Rates

Insurance Commissioner | News | Date Posted: Friday, August 8, 2014



Dover, DE–Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart, CIR-ML, announced that the Delaware Department of Insurance will submit the 2015 rate filing requests covering plans to be offered on Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, today. Commissioner Stewart reviewed the filings submitted by the insurers and successfully worked with one of the insurance companies to reduce the requested rate increase of some plans.

Commissioner Stewart stated, “The Department of Insurance is tasked with protecting consumers and we go about our work with the best interest of Delaware’s consumers in mind. The department strives to strike a balance between protecting consumers and ensuring that insurance carriers are able to generate the necessary revenues to meet their financial obligations. I am very pleased that one of the insurance companies worked with us to lower their requested rate increase from the rate originally submitted.”

The Commissioner also noted that, “Overall, we are pleased to see more plans offered on the market and the requested rate increases were generally lower than what some other states have seen.”  The Health Insurance Marketplace will offer 25 plans for individuals this year, four more than were available during this past enrollment period. There will be 16 small business group plans to choose from for 2015, up from 11 this year.

Rate filing requests from the insurance companies that will be offering plans on the Marketplace were received by the Delaware Department of Insurance in June and were reviewed by the department’s actuaries to see if the requested changes in rates were justified. The rate filings were posted on the Department of Insurance website in July and public comments were accepted for a two week period. The rate filings will now be submitted to CMS for review. CMS has the final authority to approve or deny the requested rates. A response from CMS is expected sometime in late October or early November, ahead of the start of the open enrollment period which begins November 15.

The open enrollment period for individuals who wish to purchase health insurance plans through the state/federal Health Insurance Marketplace will begin on November 15, 2014, and will end February 15, 2015. Consumers can utilize www.choosehealthde.com or call 1-800-318-2596 to get information or enroll in a plan for 2015. It should be noted that the Delaware Department of Insurance does not administer or provide customer support for the state’s website, www.choosehealthde.com, or the federal website, www.healthcare.gov.

For help with insurance matters, such as questions about your health insurance after you have enrolled in a plan, call the Delaware Department of Insurance at (302) 674-7300 or (800) 282-8611 for Consumer Services. Visit our website, www.delawareinsurance.gov, and “Like” the Department on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/DelawareInsurance. Follow us on Twitter @Delaware_DOI.

###

Delaware Department of Insurance: “Protecting Delawareans through regulation and education while providing oversight of the insurance industry to best serve the public.”

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.