Individual market health plan affordability after cost-sharing reduction subsidy cuts.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate how changes in insurer participation and composition as well as state policies affect health plan affordability for individual market enrollees.

Data sources

2014-2019 Qualified Health Plan Landscape Files augmented with supplementary insurer-level information.

Study design

We measured plan affordability for subsidized enrollees using premium spreads, the difference between the benchmark plan and the lowest cost plan, and premium levels for unsubsidized enrollees. We estimated how premium spreads and levels varied with insurer participation, insurer composition, and state policies using log-linear models for 15 222 county-years.

Principal findings

Increased insurer participation reduces premium levels, which is beneficial for unsubsidiz

SUBMITTER: Drake C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6606549 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature