Wisconsin Insurers Take Steps to Participate in Health Exchange

The Wisconsin Office of Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) announced that it has reviewed filings from 13 insurers who have requested their plans be certified by the state as a qualified health plan, or QHP, so that they may participate in the federally facilitated health care exchange, under the Affordable Care Act.

 

In order to be eligible for the federally facilitated exchange, insurers must meet all state standards and file their rates and forms with the state of Wisconsin. Insurers began filing insurance policies with the state in April.

OCI has reviewed filings from 13 insurers who have requested their plans be certified as a qualified health plan (QHP) in the individual market and nine insurers who have filed plans to participate in the SHOP exchange. The following is a list of all of the health insurers that have submitted rate and form filings to OCI:

Individual Market Insurance Companies
Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative
Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation
Dean Health Plan, Inc.
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
Gundersen Health Plan, Inc.
Health Tradition Health Plan
Medica Health Plans of Wisconsin
MercyCare HMO, Inc.
Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, Inc.
Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation
Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
Unity Health Plans Insurance Corp.
Arise (WPS Health Plan, Inc.)

Small Employer Group Market Insurance Companies
Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
Gundersen Health Plan, Inc.
Health Tradition Health Plan
Medica Insurance Company
MercyCare HMO
MercyCare Insurance Company
Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
Arise (WPS Health Plan, Inc.)

While OCI also reviewed rate information, that data was not released to the public.

“This is only the first step in the process,” explained Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel. “Insurers wishing to participate in the federal exchange will need to complete an additional federal review process and sign a contract to participate on the exchange.”

Insurers can withdraw their application for participation on the exchange any time before the contract is signed.

Of note, two of the state’s three largest insurers, UnitedHealthcare and Humana, are not on the list, and are thus opting not to participate in the exchanges at this time.