So what will change? Larger premium increases for those big insurers staying in and fewer options. “What I think is working, where it is working, is where we have very tight narrow networks,” Aetna President Karen Lynch said during the earnings call. Several not-for-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans—most recently the Minnesota Blues—have cut popular PPO products in favor of HMO plans.
Other changes likely will come on the regulatory side, and the Obama administration already has implemented some. For instance, at the insurance industry's behest, the CMS made it harder for people to sign up for coverage outside of the annual open enrollment. The CMS also said it will modify the law's risk-adjustment program and limit the use of short-term health plans.
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