More Americans enrolling in Obamacare, despite uncertainty

Nov. 30--Uncertainty surrounding the future of Obamacare hasn't stopped a growing number of Americans from buying health insurance through the law's exchanges this year.

More than 2.1 million Americans -- including 68,192 Illinoisans -- have selected health insurance plans through the Obamacare exchange since open enrollment began Nov. 1, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday.

On a national level, that's up 97,000 compared with November 2015.

The numbers were released a day after President-elect Donald Trump tapped Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., an Affordable Care Act opponent, to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Trump has promised to repeal and replace the health care law, but it's unclear exactly when a repeal might take effect or what would replace Obamacare.

In the meantime, many Illinois consumers say they have little choice but to continue buying the coverage despite the questions about its future. For 2017, Illinois consumers buying exchange plans also face higher prices, fewer choices and, often, the confusion that comes from trying to navigate those issues.

Most Illinoisans get health coverage through their employers or government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. But this year, more than 300,000 bought insurance through the Obamacare exchange. About three-fourths of Illinoisans who bought 2016 coverage received federal tax credits to help offset the cost of premiums.

Americans have until Dec. 15 to buy plans through the exchange if they want coverage to begin Jan. 1.

John Holden, a Chicago freelance writer and landlord, said he's relatively healthy now, but doesn't want to gamble on his future by skipping coverage for next year.

"If I were hit by a car or what have you, I wouldn't want to compromise my entire financial future, which I've worked very hard to try to secure for many years," said Holden, 55.

He's not sure whether he'll buy a plan on or off the exchange -- though he imagines both will be affected by an Obamacare repeal. The uncertainty is grating, he said, but not enough to stop him from securing health insurance. Under Obamacare, all Americans must get insurance or pay a penalty.

"It just adds another level of aggravation to the process, going through all this work this year and not knowing what we'll face a year from now," Holden said.

Many have already spent hours trying to find the best exchange coverage for their families -- a task made more difficult this year by reduced choices and higher prices.

In Cook County, for example, individual consumers have 38 plans to choose from in 2017, down from 71 plans this year. In many cases, it's become difficult for Illinoisans to find plans that include all their doctors or preferred hospitals.

For next year, no exchange plan includes University of Chicago Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital or Lurie Children's Hospital in its network. One exchange plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois' Blue Precision HMO, allows patients to see doctors at Northwestern downtown, but only if they're referred to them by doctors with Northwestern's hospitals in Winfield or Geneva, or its Regional Medical Group.

The slimmed-down networks, paired with higher prices, have made shopping more confusing this year, said Frank Vance, owner of EganVance Insurance in Chicago and former president of the Chicago Southland Association of Health Underwriters.

Monica Niccolai, of Chicago, already has made more than a dozen calls to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Northwestern as part of her search for a plan for her husband. She said she's gotten conflicting answers. She's worried that she won't be able to get definitive answers before the Dec. 15 deadline.

At this point, she said in an email she's "hoping and praying" it will all work out.

Insurance broker Robert Slayton, past president of the Illinois State Association of Health Underwriters, said he's definitely hearing more questions from clients about buying exchange coverage for next year. Still, Illinoisans are singing up for exchange plans because the exchange remains the only place to get federal tax credits -- even if it's uncertain how much longer those tax credits will last.

"I tell people their job is to get through 2017," said Slayton, who runs a brokerage agency in Naperville. "You can't do any more than that."

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