“I still run into people who are wondering, am I still going to have a plan next year?” Independence Blue Cross Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hilferty says in an interview.
Hilferty says the company is increasing its advertising this year in part because of that confusion.
Imbalanced Market
In September, the Congressional Budget Office said it expected 2018 enrollment to reach 11 million people vs. about 10 million this year. It cut its previous projection by 4 million as Trump threatened the law and later cut the estimated $10 billion in government subsidies to insurers to cover customer out-of-pocket costs in 2018.
To make up for the reduced subsidies, which apply to the most common “silver” plans—the middle tier of the plans offered—insurers raised premiums by about 20% on those plans.
Others say total sign-ups will drop. Get America Covered, an outreach group founded by former Obama administration officials, predicts 1.1 million fewer people will sign up during the enrollment period.
Lori Lodes, a co-founder of the group, said the effort by insurers focused on local markets could not match the impact of a national campaign.
Various insurers say they are trying.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, the sole Obamacare insurer in most of North Dakota, increased online advertising for 2018, while traditional TV and radio advertising remained about flat, spokeswoman Andrea Dinneen said.
Florida Blue, which has about 1 million members in Obamacare plans throughout Florida, is increasing its grass roots efforts this year. It has hired 700 temporary employees to help with enrollment and is planning to take part in more than 1,000 enrollment events, such as county fairs or educational sessions, spokesman Paul Kluding says.
On the other hand, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said it would spend less on wooing customers because of the financial pressures from the lowered subsidies, which went into effect this month. Instead it will focus on helping existing customers select plans that may keep premium costs down, rather than automatically re-enrolling in the silver plans.
“We decided to try to be as lean as possible,” says Rick Notter, director of the individual business.