Healthcare markets to open amid federal uncertainty
The bad news? No one's sure how much it's going to cost.
Washington HealthPlanFinder, the state's health insurance exchange, is gearing up for open enrollment, the period of the year where anyone can sign up for insurance for themselves and their families.
The
But
The state will have 13 sites for in-person help to sign up or renew insurance. In
"We have more this year than ever before to help people out," said
The exchanges sell plans from private insurance companies that offer a basic set of benefits, including coverage for hospitalization, prescription drugs and mental health care.
The prices of those plans climbed on average 24 percent this year, though 60 percent of Washingtonians who use the exchange get a subsidy to help them offset the cost of coverage.
Those subsidies are tied to the cost of the second cheapest "silver" level health plan and will rise as rates rise, so consumers may not see much of a difference in what they're paying.
But more rate increases may be in the works. President
Without those payments, Washington Insurance Commissioner
Kreidler placed the blame on Trump, calling the increase a "Trump tax."
A bipartisan outline for a health reform bill announced this week by Senators
A court order could also require the Trump administration to continue paying the subsidies, Valandra said.
"It's still sort of up in the air," he said.
Marchand said he's hoping the turmoil doesn't impact sign-ups. Less advertising could mean fewer people know signs-ups are happening, he said. But heading into the fifth year of sign-ups, most customers are renewing existing plans, not getting coverage for the first time.
The exchange has added a new feature called SmartPlan Finder, where people can enter their existing health care providers and prescription medications, then compare whether a variety of exchange plans will cover them.
Customers can access the tool by going to the shopping section on WAHealthPlanFinder.org, entering some basic information and then clicking "SmartPlan Finder on the lefthand menu.
"This is an important decision for so many Washingtonians and we want to make sure that they feel comfortable," he said.
People can enroll in
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