HHS: More insurers joining exchanges in 2015

The number of health insurance companies offering plans in ACA marketplaces this fall will increase by 25 percent, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced this week (Source: “Under Affordable Care Act, 25 Percent Increase in Health Insurers Is Predicted,” New York Times, Sept. 24, 2014).

According to a new HHS report,  among the 36 states that use a federally facilitated marketplace, 67 issuers are expected to offer plans for the first time in 2015. Indiana will have six new entrants in 2015, Ohio will have five new entrants, and Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania will each have four new entrants.

However, it is important to note that many states have more than one insurance market or rating area (there are 17 in Ohio). An insurer is counted as participating in a state if it is in just one local market. The administration did not disclose the number of plans in each rating area in a state.