- Centene announced it is consolidating all of its Medicare Advantage (MA) brands under the Wellcare name. Centene’s acquisition of Wellcare Health Plans in January 2020 created one of the country’s largest sponsors of government insurance and led to numerous disparate MA brands across 33 states. Brand names that will be consolidated under Wellcare include Allwell, Health Net, Fidelis Care, Trillium Advantage, ‘Ohana Health Plan, and TexanPlus. (Press release here)
- A report from the American Academy of Actuaries found that uncertainty over future COVID-19 surges and the end of regulatory flexibilities will be be major drivers for 2022 premiums on the individual and small group markets. According to the report, the individual market’s risk pool is likely to be very different than the one that existed in 2020 due to several factors that include larger premium tax credits that expire after the 2022 coverage year. Furthermore, when the public health emergency ends, Medicaid eligibility determinations will resume, displacing current Medicaid beneficiaries into either the individual market or the uninsured population. (Article here)
September 3, 2021
Payers