Salem - The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is seeking public comment on cost-sharing reduction rate increases for silver metal tier individual health insurance premiums for 2018 plans.
The comment period starts Monday, Oct. 16. Due to the limited time frame to file revised rates, the deadline for comment is Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. To comment in writing, email Ethan Baldwin via email at [email protected].
The reason for the public comment period is on Oct. 12, the Trump administration issued an announcement about immediately stopping cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurance companies. The Division of Financial Regulation is committed to the stability of Oregon's health insurance market and ensuring access to statewide comprehensive health coverage.
The division has determined that in order to ensure carriers can continue to offer coverage in Oregon, it must offer health insurance companies offering plans on HealthCare.gov the opportunity to increase their already approved silver metal tier 2018 plan rates by 7.1 percent. The deadline for insurance companies and the state to file new rates on HealthCare.gov is 12 p.m. on Oct. 17.
Non-silver metal tier plan rates (e.g., bronze and gold) will remain unaffected.
This increase will affect plans both on and off HealthCare.gov, and will compensate for the $49 million worth of cost-sharing reduction payments that the federal government will no longer be making to Oregon insurance companies in 2018.
Visit http://dfr.oregon.gov/news/Pages/20171013-trump-payment-reduction.aspx for more details about the decision to increase rates and a sample rate table of the revised rates.
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The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov and www.dfr.oregon.gov.
October 17, 2017
