Calif. OKs tougher rules on plan networks; Mnsure taps groups to do outreach

Sep 4 2014

News organizations track developments in California, Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin as state online insurance marketplaces gear up for the second open enrollment season.

Modern Healthcare: Narrow Network Controversy Spurs Tougher Rules For California Plans
California health plans would face new requirements designed to ensure they offer adequate provider networks under legislation the state Legislature approved last week. The issue of network adequacy has sparked controversy since the state's exchange opened last year with many narrow-network products. Under a bill now awaiting the governor's signature, insurers would have to provide annual reports to the California Department of Managed Health Care about their provider networks, and the agency's assessment of that data would be posted on its website (Demko, 9/2).

The Huffington Post: Here's Where Obamacare Has Made The Most Progress
More than 8 million people enrolled in private health insurance under Obamacare for 2014, topping expectations despite a rocky start. But that's less than one-third of the number of people who could have signed up -- a sign of the huge untapped market for Obamacare coverage and the challenges still facing the program (Young, 9/2).

Los Angeles Times: California Officials Gearing Up For Obamacare Open Enrollment
Looking to avoid the pitfalls and confusion that surrounded the launch of Obamacare, California is gearing up to get 1.2 million people to renew their health policies for next year. The Covered California insurance exchange easily outpaced its expected enrollment during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Now it faces the challenge of getting those people to stay on board for a second year once open enrollment begins Nov. 15 (Terhune, 9/2).

Minnesota Public Radio: MNsure Awards Outreach Grants To Groups That Serve Minorities
The state's online health insurance marketplace is gearing up for the next open enrollment period by asking a diverse group of organizations to help Minnesotans find insurance. MNsure officials on Tuesday announced $4.6 million in outreach grants to 28 organizations statewide. About a third of the money will go to organizations serving racial and ethnic communities who face language or other barriers to finding insurance (Aslanian, 9/2).

North Carolina Health News: North Carolinians Get Mixed Bag Of News Around ACA
This summer, North Carolinians were left scratching their heads in wonder after two federal appeals courts handed down conflicting rulings around financial subsidies for the health insurance marketplace as part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Just two weeks earlier, in July, United Health Care, the state's second-largest insurance provider, announced plans to operate on the health insurance marketplace here, joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Coventry Health. Both announcements will have an impact on the 396,212 North Carolinians who are eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan with financial assistance (Porter-Rockwell, 9/3).

The Hill: Baldwin Asks Administration For Special Wisconsin Insurance Enrollment
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) asked the Obama administration to grant a special enrollment period for Wisconsin citizens to enroll in health insurance offered by the federal marketplace. In a letter released Tuesday to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, Baldwin said that about 38,000 individuals have been left without health insurance after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker decided to reject federal funds for the state's health insurance program, known as "BadgerCare" (Marcos, 9/2).