Blue Cross Wants To Return To Illinois Exchange

June 19--Illinois' largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, is taking steps to return to the Obamacare exchange next year despite uncertainty over the fate of the health care law.

The news comes as some insurers in other parts of the country pull out of the marketplace for 2018.

In Illinois, insurers have until Wednesday to file proposed rates with the Illinois Department of Insurance. Colleen Miller, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross, confirmed Monday the insurer is submitting rates and plans for next year.

However, the extent of Blue Cross' participation in the exchange is undecided, she said. This year, Blue Cross is the only insurer offering individual PPO plans on the Illinois exchange. It's also the only insurer offering individual exchange plans in Lake and McHenry counties.

"We're working with regulators at the state and federal level to achieve a stable and sustainable market," Miller said in an email.

Miller said the insurer is not releasing its proposed rates.

The Illinois Department of Insurance did not respond to a question Monday about when proposed rates will be made public, but last year they were not publicly released until Aug. 1. The state doesn't require proposals to be made public upon filing. Some states have already shared insurers' proposed rates.

Blue Cross raised premiums for individual exchange plans in Illinois this year by 43 to 60 percent, and the company has said potential changes related to the Affordable Care Act could mean significant premium increases.

Those changes would include if the federal government stops enforcing the rule that everyone get health insurance or pay a penalty, and if the federal government stops sending cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers -- money meant to help offset the expenses of reducing deductible and copayment costs for lower-income members.

The House already has passed a bill to replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act, and the issue is being considered by the Senate.

A spokesman for insurer Cigna, which offers individual exchange plans in Cook, DuPage, Kankakee, Will and Kane counties this year, declined to comment Monday on whether the insurer would return to the exchange again next year. Attempts to reach Celtic Insurance Co., which offers individual exchange plans in Cook and DuPage counties this year, were unsuccessful.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

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