Can the Exchanges Be Saved?

By MICHAEL TURPIN “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” —William Arthur Ward Looking confidently past the skeletons of drowned state and federal healthcare experiments, America’s health insurance exchanges set sail in January 2014. Disregarding the rough seas ahead, healthcare reform pundits and legislators applauded the Affordable Care Act’s signature public expansion vehicle as an impenetrable solution for achieving affordable coverage and competition. Less than two years later, the exchanges are taking on water. In November, United Healthcare lowered earnings projections, a move driven primarily by its hesitancy to commit to enrolling new exchange members until risks are better understood. While other insurers were quick to reassure investors that the public exchange market remains a viable means for organic growth, a low-pressure system of doubt is already building over the nascent public exchanges. Initial enrollment projections for 2016 are fewer than 10 million members—about half of the 20 million target estimated by the Congressional Budget Office. In their rush to expand coverage to the uninsured and under insured, many public officials and industry neophytes failed to consult with those who have firsthand experience with the difficulties of underwriting those who are obtaining insurance for the first time. FAST FOCUS  Enrollment projections for 2016 are fewer than 10 million members...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Featured THCB Michael Turpin Source Type: blogs