Dive Brief:
- At the end of the first open enrollment period, health plans remain unsure as to what is coming on the exchange market, according to FierceHealthPayer.
- CEOs speaking at the second national health insurance exchange summit in DC said the market has been marked by rapid changes in what stakeholders want, the publication notes.
- Enrolling the uninsured population has been particularly difficult for insurers, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield Association vice president of state affairs Kim Holland. Holland noted that only 26% of the 8 million exchange enrollees had previously lacked insurance, FierceHealthPayer reported.
Dive Insight:
According to Holland, to succeed in the exchange market, insurers will need to better understand how consumers make decisions as well as fully inform consumers about available coverage options to get them to sign up for ACA plans. However, it doesn't help that many consumers believe that enrollment was unsuccessful, despite figures showing otherwise. Politicization of the issue hasn't been a plus either, the CEOs said. The key will be to get to the point where the public is no longer demonizing payers, they said, according to FierceHealthPayer.