Mark Farrah Associates Assesses Individual Health Insurance Membership Comparisons and Competitor Insights

Business Wire

MCMURRAY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mark Farrah Associates (MFA), www.markfarrah.com, released an analysis brief providing insights into individual health insurance market developments with state-by-state membership comparisons. In "A Brief Analysis of the Individual Health Insurance Market," Mark Farrah Associates reported enrollment in individual, non-group medical plans totaled 15.75 million as of March 2018, representing an 11.1% decline from the 17.7 million members in March 2017. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports combined with data from MFA’s Health Coverage Portal™, 75% of these members were enrolled through the exchanges at first quarter 2018 with the remaining 25% of this segment, or 4 million covered lives, enrolled in off-exchange plans. Centene, Kaiser, Guidewell Mutual Holding Group (the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates operating in Florida), and Anthem all reported more than 1.1 million individual medical covered lives as of first quarter 2018.

Based on statutory financial statements filed by health insurers, carriers collectively reported underwriting gains of almost $1.7 billion in the individual segment last year; a surprising difference from the $4.7 billion loss reported in 2016. In addition, as of first quarter 2018, plans have shown improved profitability over that seen in 2017. Premiums PMPM have increased and the aggregate medical expense ratio stands at 68%, down from 75.2% in 1Q17. Although enrollment in this precarious segment has been continually declining each year, due to the slight market stabilization and improved financial performance, many insurers are considering expansion plans for 2019. Mark Farrah Associates will monitor individual health insurance developments as the industry continues to brace for further market changes.

To read the full text of "A Brief Analysis of the Individual Health Insurance Market," visit the Analysis Briefs library on Mark Farrah Associates' website.

About Mark Farrah Associates (MFA)

Mark Farrah Associates is a leading business information provider in the health insurance sector. We provide health plan market data and analysis tools for the healthcare industry and our primary products include Health Coverage Portal™, County Health Coverage™, Health Plans USA™, Medicare Business Online™ and Medicare Benefits Analyzer™. To learn more about our products, access the product brochures and preview informational videos from the “Our Products” tab at www.markfarrah.com.