After 2 years of declines, insurance coverage climbs in Connecticut

Oct. 17--After two years of declines through 2016, Connecticut registered a slight increase in the numbers of people signing up for commercial health insurance last year, according to a new report from state regulators.

Five of Connecticut's six health insurance carriers added to their membership rolls last year as tracked by the Connecticut Insurance Department, whether for full coverage or partial indemnity or HMO plans that exclude some types of coverage. The state added more than 1,500 insured residents on a net basis to keep the total number of covered people above 2.2 million.

Nationally, nearly 2.8 million additional people secured health insurance last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates published last month, a nearly 0.1 percent increase that was ahead of the Connecticut trajectory.

Anthem remains the dominant market leader in Connecticut with more than 1 million members, a 46 percent share of the market with the company marking its first gain here in two years.

UnitedHealthcare signed up more than 20,000 people, including for subsidiary Oxford Health Plans, to lead all insurers for numerical membership gains. The nonprofit Harvard Pilgrim Health Care registered the best momentum with a 47 percent increase in its membership base in its fourth year of actively selling policies in Connecticut.

"Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has experienced rapid growth after its entry into the state in 2014," stated Jason Madrak, vice president of the insurer's Connecticut market operations, in an email response to a Hearst Connecticut Media query forwarded by a spokesperson. "With a fairly stable array of health insurance carriers in the state over the past several years, the new options brought to the table by Harvard Pilgrim were a welcome addition to the market."

ConnectiCare was the only carrier to see its insurance membership totals decline in Connecticut, with the state Insurance Department reporting nearly 55,000 fewer members for the Farmington-based subsidiary of EmblemHealth, a 22 percent drop.

"The decline in enrollment was a strategic decision," stated ConnectiCare spokesperson Kim Kann in response to a Hearst Connecticut Media inquiry. "Over the last few years, many of our competitor's plans have been significantly underpriced. While ConnectiCare offers an array of solutions to help small business owners navigate this important and unfamiliar territory, we will not adjust our offerings based on lower cost plans in the market. ConnectiCare is focused on being successful here in Connecticut, but not at the expense of offering unsustainable plans to our customers."

Anthem and ConnectiCare are reprising their status next year as the lone two carriers offering coverage on the CT Access Health exchange, which under the federal Affordable Care Act offers an option for people unable to find adequate coverage in the private market.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman

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