The company has already signed more than 30,000 new members to its CareSource Just4Me brand marketplace plans in Ohio and expects to add more than 50,000 new members among all three states next year.
“Our projection is that we expect to double our enrollment in CareSource Just4Me (in Ohio), and when we add in Kentucky and Indiana, we hope to exceed 80,000,” said Scott Streator, vice president enterprise strategy at CareSource. “We’re thrilled that both current and new members are selecting CareSource.”
Open enrollment for marketplace coverage ends Feb. 15, and consumers who want to change policies must select a new health plan by Dec. 15 or they will be automatically re-enrolled in their current coverage.
CareSource is among 16 issuers in Ohio selling marketplace plans for coverage beginning next year, including Dayton-based Premier Health, which joined the marketplace for the first time this year.
Officials at southwest Ohio’s largest hospital network said it was premature to release enrollment figures: “We are, however, very pleased with the initial response to the Premier Health Plan,” the company said in a statement.
The number of marketplace insurers in Ohio is up from 12 last year — the inaugural launch of federally run health insurance marketplaces in Ohio and 35 other states.
And many insurers, including CareSource, have expanded their offerings and coverage areas.
CareSource is now selling marketplace health plans in 43 Ohio counties, up from 30 last year, and has added a new “bronze” level plan.
The marketplace offers four levels of coverage eligible for premium tax credit subsidies that are designated by different metals: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
Bronze plans typically have the lowest unsubsidized premiums but cover the lowest percentage of health costs. Platinum plans cover at least 90 percent of medical costs but also have the highest premiums.
“Offering the bronze plan just gives consumers the option to have a lower-premium product,” said Streator, who noted that 90 percent of CareSource customers this year chose silver plans, which were also the most popular plans statewide.
Silver plans qualify for premium subsidies and well as subsidies to help cover the cost of deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs.
Christina Walters, a self-employed Springfield resident who had trouble getting health insurance before passage of the 2010 health reform law, plans to continue coverage in her silver plan from CareSource next year.
Walters, 39, is considered obese at 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 320 pounds. Because of her weight, she’s at risk for a variety of obesity related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Still, she said she was in perfect health when she began looking for health coverage after quitting her job to start her own business several years ago.
“I had no pre-existing conditions. No meds, no health problems, nothing,” Walters said. But “No insurance company would even let me fill out an application when I told them my weight.
“I purchased health insurance through the marketplace as soon as I could,” she added. “I have had CareSource Just4Me for almost a year and love it. I am so grateful for the Affordable Care Act, and I hope the Republicans do not mess it up.”
Walters, a registered Republican voter, was referring to near-universal opposition to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law by Republican lawmakers.
Led by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-West Chester) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Republicans in Congress are planning once again to vote next year to repeal the law after more than 50 failed attempts, despite the president’s vow to veto such a bill even it was passed by both houses of Congress.
In addition, a conservative dominated Supreme Court has agreed to hear a legal case that could jeopardize marketplace subsidies in Ohio and the other federally run marketplaces.
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