Oscar plan comes back to NJ Obamacare for 2018
The company, which left the market last year, said it will begin selling policies to individuals and small businesses when open enrollment begins in November.
More: MacArthur talks Obamacare,
"The market in
Oscar will join AmeriHealth New Jersey and
Oscar announced its return as the nation's
Among their complaints: it mandates consumers buy insurance or face a penalty; it expanded federally funded Medicaid; and it has left some individual markets with soaring premiums, or, in some cases no carriers at all.
Their efforts are being led in part by
More: Frelinghuysen vote helps, but he hopes for
More: Trumpcare in NJ: What's in it for you?
Once designed for residents living below the poverty line, Obamacare opened Medicaid programs such as New Jersey Family Care to consumers making up to 138 percent of the poverty line --
The federal government pays for 90 percent of the expansion. It helped to cover an additional 562,000
The
"Medicaid funding is not simply a line item in the federal budget -- it is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of
Insurers had a deadline of Wednesday to file proposals with state regulators.
An AmeriHealth New Jersey spokesperson said it will participate as long as the marketplace is viable enough that it does not negatively impact its members or business.
Neither company indicated how much their plans would cost next year.
More: Top New Jersey lawmakers join rally to save 'Obamacare'
Previous: Oscar drops out of NJ Obamacare
The reasons: Health care costs continue to grow faster than overall inflation; the Trump administration might not enforce penalties on consumers who choose not to buy insurance;
"I would say we have moderate competition, but we're neither a health care desert on one extreme, nor do we have robust consumer choices on the other extreme," said
Still,
MORE: What grade did your hospital get?
Oscar, whose early investors included
Schlosser said the uncertainty of health care policy in
"We're confident that when the dust settles, the market for health insurance will stabilize in time for 2018," Schlosser said. "For all of the political noise, there are simply too many lives at stake for representatives in
___
(c)2017 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.)
Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bill to protect Pennsylvania patients from surprise medical bills garners support
Allianz To Sell Insurance In China
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News