Anthem rate increase has not only hurt their reputation and made millions of clients, non-clients including the CA Insurance Commissioner very angry. Finally the rate increases have been approved for October 1st. (a 6 month delay). To be compliant to the healthcare reform Anthem decided to switch all new enrollments after 9/23/2010 to the new compliant plans. These plans have been submitted to the insurance commissioner at the End of June but only 5 out of 43 plans are approved. And most popular plans, like the Smart Sense Plan, Premier Plan, Core Guard plan are not approved. What does it mean for you the consumer.
Since 9/23/2009 Anthem can only offer 5 plans, so in reality almost no product. Anthem’s new individual insurance business is since 6 weeks at a stand still.
We agent are forced to sell other carriers such as Blue Shield, Healthnet, Kaiser Permanente or Aetna.
Aetna is the only carrier who has plans which are compliant to the Health Care reform.Unfortunately most of their plans offer only high deductibles and are not feasible for many families.
Blue Shield , Healhtnet, Kaiser Permanente are currently only selling “old- grandfathered plan”.
Blue Shield just announced that any individual subscriber who enrolled after October 1st has no rate guarantee, that means the consumer can experience anytime a rate increase. Is that really what we want!!
I understand that the insurance commissioner has been angry at Anthem, as we all have. But the
current situation, with so many limited product and so few carriers does really hurt at the end the consumer.
I do not understand that anyone allowed a transition time where some carrier comply to the rules of the health care reform and other carriers do not. It is confusing to the consumer.
Their are many advantages to the new plan, such as preventive care at zero cost, free choice for females to go to their in network gynecologist, and to choose an in network pediatrician.
I hope that the Insurance commissioner will release the plans, or if the submitted rates are to high, request corrections.
But to be in the California Insurance market without Anthem really does not serve the consumer and allows carriers such as Blue Shield to offer “non rate guarantees”, which are unacceptable. Even Healthnet who still offers a 6 months gurantee, is saying to the consumer that due the implementation of the Health Care Reform a rate increase for January will be most likely!
These are turbulent times and we the agents and consumer need rate clarification at once.
Although Anthem did make bad decision, we need their product! The competition in the individual insurance is very little. Having the main insurance carrier not being able to offer product, does really hurt in end effect the consumer!
Somehow he must be so upset that the Anthem’s rate