This week in gay Palm Springs Sept 6 to Sept 11 2017

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move forward without the added CSR surcharge.
If no decisions on CSR funding are made by
Sept. 30, the gross or total premium would
reflect this CSR surcharge for consumers
with Silver-tier plans who receive subsidies.
However, in most cases, consumers would
not see a “net” change in what they would
pay since their premium tax credit would
also increase.
The board adopted new contract language
to provide carriers with more assurances
during this time of unprecedented uncertainty
in order to maximize consumer
choice and participation in 2018 with the
lowest rates possible. If a carrier incurs
unanticipated losses in 2018 due to changes
in existing federal policies or other uncertainties,
such as the lack of enforcing the
individual mandate, the carrier will be able
to request a recoupment of those losses
over a three-year period (plan years 2019 to
2021). Also, if a carrier experiences unanticipated
profits due to changes in existing
federal policies, such as the resumption of
a reinsurance fund, they will factor those
profits into their rates over the next one to
three plan years.
The board approved an increase to Covered
California’s marketing and outreach budget
for 2018 of approximately $5 million, for a
total of $111 million. The additional funding
will be used to increase the number of
television and radio ads around key dates
throughout the upcoming open-enrollment
period, which will run from Nov. 1 through
Jan. 31. Covered California will also engage
in a more robust regional marketing direct-mail
campaign for consumers affected
by the CSR surcharge.
“These actions will protect our consumers
and give our carriers the certainty they
need to continue providing choice at a good
price,” Lee said.
“While we are doing our best to manage
a difficult situation, we hope Congress
and the administration will provide clear
guidance on how it intends to stabilize the
individual insurance market.”
This week the Congressional Budget Office
issued a report that found that ending the
CSR reimbursements would raise premiums
by about 20 percent in 2018 and 25
percent in 2020 and subsequent years.
In addition, since the premium tax credit
would rise along with the premiums,
ending the CSR reimbursements would
increase the federal deficit by $194 billion
over the next 10 years.
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