SHOP Retains Insurers, Adds Coverage Options for 2015
California's Small Business Health Options Program will retain the same six participating insurers in 2015 that it had this year, but the plans will include additional coverage options and more flexibility, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
The six insurers that will offer plans through the SHOP exchange in 2015 are:
- Blue Shield of California;
- Chinese Community Health Plan;
- Health Net;
- Kaiser Permanente;
- Sharp Health Plan; and
- Western Health Advantage (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 9/19).
Background
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.
About 1,714 small businesses had enrolled 11,510 employees and dependents through SHOP as of Aug. 1 (California Healthline, 6/23).
Details of New Coverage, Flexibility
Starting in 2015, the exchange said that Health Net, Kaiser and Western Health Advantage will offer plans with alternative coverage to the standard options established by Covered California. The plans still will meet the ACA's minimum coverage standards, but other details are not yet available, according to the Business Journal (Sacramento Business Journal, 9/19).
Further, work-based plans in 2015 now can include adult dental plans. The coverage will be paid for by the employee with no additional cost to the employer (Wolfson, Orange County Register, 9/19).
Participating dental carriers will include:
- Access Dental Plan;
- Blue Shield of California;
- Delta Dental of California;
- Dental Health Services;
- Guardian;
- Liberty Dental Plan of California;
- Managed Dental Care of California;
- MetLife;
- Premier Access; and
- Safeguard Health Plans (Sacramento Business Journal, 9/19).