Annual Washington State Health Insurance Market Update
The following contains information for our NAHP Alternative Health Plan Solutions and ACA/Obamacare plans for individuals and small businesses in the state of Washington.
Washington State Alternative Health Plan Solutions Updates
NEW OPTION: As I mentioned in my Federal market update, I have recently come across a set of health plans that will work well for certain people in Washington. These plans are comprehensive coverage and compliant with ACA/Obamacare mandates. They also utilize a nationwide PPO network, so they offer a much better choice of providers than most ACA/Obamacare plans. All plans have a maximum out of pocket limit that will be $2,100 per year LESS than the maximum out of pocket for 2024 ACA/Obamacare plans. The standard rates for these plans are competitive with the full price without a subsidy on current, similar ACA/Obamacare plans for people in the 45-64 age range who do not qualify for a tax credit subsidy to purchase ACA/Obamacare plans. If you fit this criterion, please reach out to me to see if one of these plans might be a better option for you.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All non-ACA/Obamacare alternative plans are available year-round. For both individuals and small groups. There is NO limited (open enrollment) period for these options.
Health Insurance Buffet - Individual Alternative Plans
In Washington the state continues to take a very pro-ACA/Obamacare position.
For individuals, Short Term Medical plans continue to be limited to just ONE 3-month policy per person per year. However we do not find any companies offering plans at this time.
With that said, we still have the same alternative “health plan buffet” package available for those who do not qualify for a tax credit subsidy to help pay for an ACA/Obamacare plan. We have a few additions to the supplemental plans that I will discuss below.
Our one Primary plan is the Philadelphia American Health Choice Select Fixed Benefit plan.
NEW! As noted below the newest supplemental plan addition is my favorite hospital indemnity plan that I have been offering in other states for several years. The Manhattan Life Out of Pocket Protection plan is the MOST affordable plan available to provide extra coverage for an inpatient hospital stay of at least one day.
Our Supplemental Plan lineup is as follows:
REMINDER NOTE: All these supplemental plans pay in addition to ANY other coverage you have. So, they are NOT just for our alternative “buffet” plans. They can reduce/eliminate out of pocket costs (plus provide additional cash for bills and other costs) of ANY primary health plan (group, individual, Medicare, etc.)
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- Accident Plans – In addition to accident supplemental plans from all our Primary plan companies (above), we offer separate LifeSecure Accident plans.
- Critical Illness Plans – Again, along with plans from all our Primary plan companies, we offer separate LifeSecure Critical Illness plans.
- Cancer and Dread Disease Treatment – BEST VALUE - The new addition to our alternative “buffet“ package is the Manhattan Life Cancer Care Plusplans. These plans give a HUGE boost by paying for actual treatment costs for Cancer and many other Dread Diseases.
- Hospital Stay Protection – NEW! The newest addition is my favorite Manhattan Life Out of Pocket Protection Plan! We offer plans from companies such as Surebridge, LifeSecure, Medico, and Washington National.
- Preventive Care Plus Plans – For those who want the MOST comprehensive coverage for preventive care plus other outpatient services, we have the Enrollment First SelectMed. There are 3 options Base, Pro and Max.
More information on all plans above can be found on each company’s page on our website and on our US Supplemental Coverage page.
Small Group Alternative Plans
In addition to the three companies we already have (Allstate Benefits, Allied National and Trustmark), we have another company that has previously provided only fully insured plans to small businesses…United Healthcare .
All the above options provide cost-saving, level funded alternative group health plans. Level funded plans can be a BETTER option for many businesses than the “one size fits all” ACA/Obamacare small group health insurance plans. Level Funded plans can provide upfront savings of 10-20%, the same fixed monthly premium as fully insured and the potential for a refund at the end of the plan year. All while providing the same or better coverage as you are used to with a fully insured plan.
If you own, or work for a business with 5 to 50 employees covered on a “traditional,” fully insured group health plan, and believe the covered group members to be reasonably healthy overall, then it might be time for your company to explore a level funded plan.
To get quotes on a level funded group health plan, please schedule a call with us to review your situation. We will also need you to fill out our Group Census spreadsheet and email it to: robtavis@ushealthinsurancesolutions.com.
Washington State 2024 ACA/Obamacare Health Insurance Market Updates
Individual Plans
Please see the following for updates in Washington in the ACA/Obamacare individual market.
In general, it looks like the focus for most companies will continue to be away from offering their own designed plans and toward the State standardized plans (Cascade and Cascade Select). We have learned that this is because the State is limiting the number of non-standardized plans that each company can offer to: one Silver, two Bronze and two Gold plans.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For the Washington State standardized plans offered on the Health Plan Finder exchange, there are both Standard (Cascade) and Public Option (Cascade Select) plans available. The Public Option plans have “Select” in their name. Public Option plans are sold by the private insurance companies, but they are fully controlled, administered and claims paid by the State of WA. In general, any insurance market with a “public option” is the first step toward a “single payer” system that eliminates private insurance options over time. I just want you to be aware of this as you make your coverage choices.
Small Group Plans
As with many states there is not much “new” to report with ACA/Obamacare small group plans in Washington.
While not a lot has changed (other than rates), the one thing that is the same is that to the best of my knowledge Premera Blue Cross is still the only company that will a “group of one” small group plan for business owners without any other “common law” employees. They must meet specific criteria to qualify.
2024 Rate ACA/Obamacare review:
2024 Preliminary Rate review:
NOTE: Final approved rates are not readily available at the time of this writing. We will do our best to update this page with the approved rates as soon as we can.
Washington preliminary 2024 individual plan rate filing requests are as follows:
(Using state insurance dept website not FFM)
Asuris - requested an average decrease of 3.32% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Bridgespan Health requested an average increase of 14.49% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Community Health Network of Washington - requested an average increase of 2.5% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Coordinated Care (Ambetter) - requested an average increase of 4.8% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Kaiser Permanente of WA HMO plans - requested an average increase range of 7.44% to 17.77% varying by plan type and location (not finalized yet).
Lifewise - requested an average increase of 7.83% varying by plan type and depending on filing date? (not finalized yet)
Molina Healthcare HMO (ON Exchange only) - requested an average increase of 6.49% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
PacificSource Health Plans - requested an average increase of 8.5% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Premera Blue Cross – requested an average increase of 17.35% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Providence Health Plan - requested an average increase of 4.69% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Regence BlueShield - requested an average increase of 4.15% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon - requested an average increase of 6.17% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
United Healthcare of Oregon - requested an average decrease of 0.39% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Washington small group market rate filing requests look like this
Aetna - requested an average increase of 7.8% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Asuris - requested an average increase of 1.47% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Health Alliance NW Health Plan - requested an average increase of 11.1% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Kaiser Permanente of WA HMO plans - requested an average increase of 6.62% or 20% varying by plan type and location and depending on filing date? (not finalized yet).
Kaiser Permanente of WA Options PPO plans - requested an average increase of 11.69% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
PacificSource Health Plans - requested an average increase of 11.67% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
Premera Blue Cross – requested an average increase of 5.09% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Regence BlueShield – requested an average increase of 6.75% varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon - requested an average increase of 7.4% varying by plan type (not finalized yet)
United Healthcare - requested an average range of increase of 9.49% to 9.87kj% varying by plan type and network (not finalized yet)
2024 Rate ACA/Obamacare Approved Rates:
Washington individual plan approved rate filings are as follows:
Asuris - Received an average decrease of 7.03% varying by plan type
Bridgespan Health Received an average increase of 16.35% varying by plan type
Community Health Network of Washington - Received an average decrease of 1.21% varying by plan type
Coordinated Care (Ambetter) - Received an average increase of 4.92% varying by plan type
Kaiser Permanente of WA HMO plans - Received an average increase of 17.81% varying by plan type and location
Lifewise - Received an average increase of 7.79% varying by plan type
Molina Healthcare HMO (ON Exchange only) - Received an average increase of 6.5% varying by plan type
PacificSource Health Plans - Received an average increase of 8.49% varying by plan type
Premera Blue Cross – Received an average increase of 17.2% varying by plan type
Providence Health Plan - Received an average increase of 4.69% varying by plan type type
Regence BlueShield - Received an average increase of 4.4% varying by plan type
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon - Received an average increase of 8.4% varying by plan type
United Healthcare of Oregon - Received an average decrease of 0.47% varying by plan type
Washington small group market approved rate filings look like this:
NOTE: Final approved rates are not readily available at the time of this writing. We will do our best to update this page with the approved rates as soon as we can.
Aetna - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
Asuris - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
Health Alliance NW Health Plan - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
Kaiser Permanente of WA HMO plans - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type and location
Kaiser Permanente of WA Options PPO plans - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
Premera Blue Cross – Received an average increase of % varying by plan type (not finalized yet).
Regence BlueShield – Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon - Received an average increase of % varying by plan type
United Healthcare - Received an average range of a decrease of % to a % increase varying by plan type and network
US Healthcare Resources and Shopping Services
I invite you to go to my US Healthcare Resources page and spend some time going through all of the different tools, services and providers that are available to help you become a better health care consumer. I believe these resources can help you lower your overall health care costs no matter what primary health insurance you have.
U.S. Insurance Solutions is here to help
Remember, you are NOT in this alone…I am here to help! As your Personal Health Insurance Advisor, my goal is to make your life easier by taking the hassle out of finding the right health plan for your situation and needs.
To discuss your health insurance options and make sure you have the best possible health plan for your situation, please go to the link above with the image that says CALL ME and schedule a call with me on a day and time that works for you, and I will call you to review your options.