September 5, 2013 – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has approved Coordinate Care Corporation’s three health plans for sale in Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange, the Washington Healthplanfinder.
Consumers in Washington will now have 46 choices in the Exchange when open enrollment begins Oct. 1. Coordinated Care Corp.’s three plans will be available in 14 counties: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, King, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla, and Yakima.
Previously, Coordinated Care Corp. only participated in the Medicaid market. Its approval to sell inside the new Washington Healthplanfinder guarantees Medicaid enrollees continuity of care and creates even more competition in the marketplace.
Coordinated Care was one of five companies Kreidler initially disapproved for sale in Washington’s new Exchange because of serious consumer protection concerns. Coordinated Care, Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, and Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW) all appealed Kreidler’s decision.
Coordinated Care took its appeal to hearing and Kreidler’s office worked with the company this week to ensure its plans met state and federal standards and could be approved.
The Executive Board of the Health Benefit Exchange is scheduled to meet via phone tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. Later in the day, it is scheduled to submit its final list of qualified health plans to the federal government.
“It was a difficult process,” said Kreidler. “But I’m very pleased that consumers will have such a robust market to choose from and that most importantly, these plans will provide meaningful coverage.”
