Ohio’s Individual Market Open Enrollment Begins

Posted by Andrew Friesner

January 4, 2010

Ohio’s newly revised open enrollment program for uninsurable Ohioans is now in effect. The program, which requires all insurers in Ohio’s individual and non-employer group market to participate, was one of the health care reform measures included in Ohio’s recently enacted biennial budget. Below is a summary of the program’s requirements:

Individual Market Open Enrollment for Uninsurable persons - applies to HICs, federally eligible (FEI) and non-federally eligible individuals (non-FEI) - ORC Sections 1751.15, 1751.16, 1751.18, 3923.122, 3923.58, 3923.581 and 3923.582
Open enrollment rates for basic and standard plans for Health Insuring Corporations (HICs) and Sickness and Accident Insurers (health insurers) for individuals and non-employer groups are capped at 2 times the base rate for calendar years 2010 and 2011. The “base rate” is defined as the lowest premium rate for new or existing business prescribed by a HIC or health insurer for the same or similar coverage under a plan or arrangement covering any individual with similar case characteristics.
For calendar year 2012 and every year thereafter, rates are capped at 1½ times the base rate.
However, if ODI determines that the 2010 cap has resulted in a market-wide average medical loss ratio for coverage sold to individual insureds and non-employer group insureds, including open enrollment insureds, of more than 5.25 percentage points, the 2010 and 2011 cap shall remain in effect.
During 2010 and 2011, each carrier shall accept into open enrollment up to 4% FEIs and 4% non-FEIs of the carrier’s total number of individual or non-employer group insureds in this state; for 2012 each carrier shall accept up to 8% FEIs and 8% non-FEIs.
HICs will no longer have to issue a public notice in the newspaper announcing their open enrollment period.
A carrier may pay an agent a commission of not more than 5% of the premium charged for the initial placement and not more than 4% of the premium charged on renewal.
These new open enrollment provisions became effective January 1, 2010.

The Ohio Department of Insurance has provided the following information concerning how to contact insurers participating in the open enrollment program:

“Below is a list of all of the carriers in Ohio who are offering Open Enrollment Basic and Standard plans. Carriers marked with an ** are full and are not accepting applicants for Open Enrollment coverage at this time. To see a chart that compares the cost of coverage by company, click here (coming soon). Call the toll free telephone numbers listed below to speak directly to a company representative. Click on the company link to obtain further information about how to sign up for Open Enrollment coverage.”

Aetna Life Insurance Company

1-888-438-8581

http://www.aetna.com/members/individuals/health/plan_details/Ohio/

American Medical Security Life Insurance Company

1-800-292-1570

http://www.eams.com/39305w-A-1109.html

American National Life Insurance Company Of Texas

1-800-899-6520

http://www.anico.com/Customer%20Service/pdfs/OhioANTEX.pdf

American Republic Insurance Company

1-800-247-2190

Celtic Insurance Company

1-800 779-7989

Chesapeake Life Insurance Company

1-800-733-1110

http://www.chesapeakeins.com/

Community Insurance Company (Anthem)

1-888-659-4032

http://www.anthem.com/ohioopenenrollment

Coventry Health And Life Insurance Company

1-800-746-1441

http://www.healthamerica.cvty.com/

Freedom Life Insurance Company of America

1-800-387-9027

http://www.ushealthgroup.com/

Golden Rule Insurance Company

1-800-292-1570

http://www.goldenrule.com/customerservice/open-enrollment-ohio.shtml

Health Plan Of Upper Oh Valley Inc

1-866-218-2826

http://www.healthplan.org/

Humana Insurance Company

1-877-499-6529

www.humana-one.com/ohio-health-insurance/ohio-open-enrollment.asp

John Alden Life Insurance Company

1-800-800-1212 x 3533

http://www.assuranthealth.com/corp/ah/state/ohio

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Of Ohio

1-800-524-7371, ext 5613

http://www.kpifoe.org/

Madison National Life Insurance Company

(800) 224-1971

file://insshare/LLStewar/My%20Documents/Communications/www.iacusa.com

McKinley Life Insurance Company

1-800-344-8858

https://www.aultcare.com/portal/pls/portal/AULTCARE.INDEX_HOME/

Medical Mutual Of Ohio

1-800-722-7331

Mega Life And Health Insurance Company, The

1-800-527-5507

http://www.megainsurance.com/

Mid-West National Life Insurance Company Of Tennessee

1-800-733-1110

http://www.midwestlife.com/

MMA Insurance Company

1-800-348-7468

http://www.mma-online.org/showitem.aspx?id=8376&token=1

National Foundation Life Insurance Company

1-800-221-9039

http://www.ushealthgroup.com/

Pekin Life Insurance Company

1-800-322-0160

http://www2.pekininsurance.com/products/health/ohio_open_enrollment/

Reserve National Insurance Company

1-800-654-9106

http://www.reservenational.com/Products/OhioOpenEnrollment.aspx

Standard Life And Accident Insurance Company

1-800-933-5956

http://www.slaico.com/pdfs/OhioSlaicoCover.pdf

Summa Insurance Company Inc

1-888-585-6538

http://summacare.com/LookingForInsurance/ProductsForIndividualsAndFamilies/individualplanoptions.aspx

Time Insurance Company

800-800-1212 x 3533

http://www.assuranthealth.com/corp/ah/state/ohio

Health Insurance Underwriting, Healthcare costs, Reducing Health Care Costs, Uncategorized, Uninsuredchanges to ohio health insurance open enrollment, individual health insurance open enrollment, ohio, ohio open enrollment, open enrollment

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