Covered California Delays Announcement of SHOP Insurers for 2015
Last week, Covered California spokesperson Dana Howard said that the exchange is delaying its announcement about which insurers will participate in the state's Small Business Health Options Program next year, the Sacramento Business Journal reports (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 9/12).
Background on SHOP
In December 2013, Covered California formally launched SHOP, its health insurance exchange for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees.
Under the Affordable Care Act, the SHOP portal allows small businesses to offer either a single plan to all of their workers or select a benefit level and allow employees to choose among several plans offered at that level. In June, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee announced that the state's SHOP exchange would expand to allow employers to offer health coverage in two benefit levels beginning Oct. 1 (California Healthline, 6/23).
According to the Business Journal, about 1,714 small businesses had enrolled 11,510 employees and dependents through SHOP as of Aug. 1.
Details of Delay
In August, Lee said the list of insurers participating in SHOP next year would be announced Sept. 15. However, officials now say the list will be announced later this week.
Howard said there is no requirement that the SHOP line-up be announced this week, but the announcement likely will come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
He said, "There's not a big reason why [Covered California delayed the announcement], we just want everything in order" (Sacramento Business Journal, 9/12).
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