Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following statement after insurers Anthem and MDWise announced today that it will leave Indiana’s individual health exchange marketplace. Today is the deadline for insurers to submit their proposed health care rates to the Indiana Department of Insurance for the coming year. Anthem and MDWise both currently offer insurance on the marketplace to all 92 counties.
Donnelly said, “Today’s decision is especially disappointing because tens of thousands of Hoosiers are losing their coverage, an outcome forced by this Administration’s deliberate strategy to create chaos and undermine the health care coverage of Hoosiers. We should all be able to agree that we want to protect access to affordable health care, and it is now more important than ever that the Senate work together in a bipartisan way to ensure Hoosiers have access to affordable quality coverage.”
In March, President Trump said, “The best thing we can do, politically speaking, is let Obamacare explode.” There is mounting evidence that actions taken by the Trump administration, by themselves, are creating instability in the insurance markets, threatening significant cost increases for consumers in 2018 and prompting insurers to pull out of states.
Today’s announcement from Anthem adds to that evidence, as Anthem noted specifically that the individual market is “volatile” because of “uncertainty in federal operations, rules and guidance, including cost sharing subsidies.” Anthem wrote in a recent letter to Donnelly that because of uncertainty, “Anthem will have no choice but to reevaluate our approach to filing our 2018 rates. Such adjustments could include reducing service area participation, requesting additional rate increases, eliminating certain product offerings, and/or exiting certain individual ACA-compliant markets altogether.”
Similarly, MDWise President and CEO James Parker wrote to Donnelly in May, citing the market uncertainty as a key part of their rate and coverage decision making, noting “…the loss of CSR funding would likely trigger significant losses for insurers like MDWise. MDWise agreed to offer coverage to our members with the expectation that lower premiums would be offset by the funding made possible through the cost sharing reduction payments. Absent these payments, MDWise will be forced to either increase premiums significantly or withdraw from the Marketplace Exchange.”
Donnelly has also heard from a number of insurers that offer coverage to Hoosiers and they too have cited the market uncertainty as they formulate their 2018 rate proposals. To read the letters from Indiana insurers and for background on the Administration’s efforts that are undermining our health care system, click here.
BACKGROUND
DONNELLY FLOOR SPEECH: U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor Monday to highlight the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine health insurance markets in Indiana and across the country. His speech came before today’s deadline for insurers to submit their proposed health care rates to the Indiana Department of Insurance for the coming year.
To see the full speech click the left image above. For a highlight video, click the right image above.
WHAT INDIANA INSURERS ARE SAYING/BACKGROUND ON EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE: Donnelly has heard from a number of Indiana-based and insurers who offer coverage to Hoosiers, which have cited the market uncertainty as they formulate their 2018 rate proposals. To read letters from Centene (Celtic), Anthem, and CareSource—which offer coverage to Hoosiers through the marketplace—and for background on the Administration’s efforts that are undermining our health care system, click here.
