Sunday, May 17, 2020

Coronavirus drives health insurers back to Obamacare

Coronavirus drives health insurers back to Obamacare

United Healthcare, the nation’s biggest insurer, says it’s reentering Maryland’s Obamacare market.

United Healthcare

United Healthcare on Tuesday said it’s re-entering Maryland’s Obamacare market and planning other expansions after abandoning 34 states’ ACA exchanges since 2016. | Jim Mone/AP Photo

By DAN GOLDBERG and SUSANNAH LUTHI

05/14/2020 04:30 AM EDT


  • Health insurers fled the Affordable Care Act in the early years of the law, fearing that losses from covering too many sick people would eat away at their profits.

Now the insurers increasingly view Obamacare as a boon while job-based health coverage faces its biggest threat yet in a crashing economy.


With tens of millions of people losing their jobs — and their health benefits — along with major cuts to Medicaid, the insurers see stability and the promise of enough healthy enrollees in a marketplace that offers government subsidized private insurance to millions of Americans during a pandemic.

United Healthcare, the nation’s biggest insurer, on Tuesday said it’s re-entering Maryland’s Obamacare market and planning other expansions after abandoning 34 states’ ACA exchanges since 2016. Anthem and Cigna have also made incremental moves over the past two years.

A just-released study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found insurers serving Obamacare patients saw continued profits last year, and that there were no signs that the elimination of the law’s individual mandate, which took effect in 2019, led to a widespread exodus of healthy customers.

"This business is as vital and viable as it's ever been," Centene CEO Michael Neidorff told investors, referring to the overall health insurance market, when he raised the company’s revenue forecast for this year, even with unemployment reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression. The company started out as a niche player administering Medicaid benefits and has gradually expanded into Obamacare.

Trump on Obamacare: 'What we want to do is terminate it and give great health care'


The insurers' strategies mark a major turning point after years of volatility for the law — and a further sign of how ACA marketplaces continue to grow and serve more people while Republicans and the Trump administration press a federal lawsuit that could end the program. And as the clash between the politics and the health care realities becomes more stark during the pandemic, some industry watchers see an added incentive for insurers to go all in backing the law in anticipation of a Democrat winning the White House this fall.


Almost 27 million Americans could lose their job-based overage due to the pandemic, according to Kaiser. Few will be able to sign up temporary workplace insurance, known as COBRA plans, which is costly without employer subsidies that typically cover the lion’s share of monthly premiums. That leaves the Obamacare markets or Medicaid, which may not be available to many of the poor in the 14 states that have not expanded the programs under the health law, and will likely face cuts as states tighten budgets in response to the crisis.

Obamacare plans are more attractive to insurers than Medicaid business, because they typically can charge high deductibles and copays and count on paying out less in claims for all but the sickest patients. That model seems to be holding up in even the early weeks of the pandemic.

“There is growing taste for subsidized business,” said Kathy Hempstead, a health insurance expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The insurers are portraying Obamacare as a safe harbor as economic fallout from the pandemic threatens job-based health plans that drive their biggest profits.

“In the coming months, millions of individuals are expected to turn to the ACA exchanges in order to secure coverage,” the lobby group America’s Health Insurance Plans told the Supreme Court Wednesday in a brief urging justices to rule against the GOP-led lawsuit to invalidate Obamacare.

It’s a big shift from the early years of the health law, when many insurers fled the ACA marketplaces, spooked by huge losses stemming from higher-than-expected claims. Then more uncertainty followed as the GOP-led Congress mounted a futile effort to repeal the law and President Donald Trump ended a crucial subsidy to offset health plan losses.



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But more recently, some of the health plans have concluded that Obamacare is a safe and stable business, in part because people with pre-existing conditions have guaranteed access to coverage under the ACA. Anthem after exiting a slew of markets in 2018, started building up its Obamacare business again in 2019 and 2020. Cigna spent three years scaling back before re-entering over the past two years.


Now with a pandemic accompanied by a massive unemployment crisis, insurers can net up more newly jobless Americans, as well as a new chunk of the currently uninsured.

Anthem CEO Gail Boudreaux told investors late last month that the economic fallout from the pandemic may drive an “unprecedented shift” of people from workplace insurance to Medicaid and Obamacare rolls and that the company is “quickly reallocating resources” to help people make the move.

“The puck is going to those places,” Hempstead noted. “That whole [employer] sector is shrinking. You have to go where people are going.”

There is also, she said, a political incentive for insurers to position themselves behind the ACA as many Democrats embrace bigger government expansions into health care, possibly including a public option that can compete with private plans.

One unknown is what happens to small businesses that buy coverage for their workers. These employers have taken the biggest hit during the pandemic, with many shutting down for good. Those that are holding on can’t afford high premiums, so insurers are trying to transition their workers to individual plans.

They’re also looking with renewed interest at a Trump administration policy that lets companies buy Obamacare coverage for workers with tax-free dollars through health reimbursement arrangements. Though businesses didn’t rush to embrace the idea at first, they’re now openly discussing it — while insurers see it as a way to get a big influx of customers.


Obamacare markets still aren’t a high-margin business like the lucrative employer insurance system, and the law requires health plans to spend 80 percent of the premiums they collect on patient care. Insurers also caution they still don’t know how much of the bill they'll foot for a future vaccine for Covid-19, and whether the money they’re saving from canceled elective surgeries and other care postponed by the pandemic will soon evaporate.

Even so, experts say the rate increases they're seeking for next year are modest.

While most plans and states are still negotiating rates for 2021, Vermont last week announced new proposals from its Obamacare marketplace. A Blue Cross Blue Shield plan didn’t ask for an increase due to Covid-19. The other carrier, MVP Health Care, pitched just a small price bump.

“The early indications are rates are going to be favorable, similar to what we’ve had the last couple years,” said Dave Dillon, a fellow with the Society of Actuaries who consults with states on Obamacare. “It does not appear Covid 19 will be a significant variable.”

Above is from:  https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/14/coronavirus-health-insurers-obamacare-257099?cid=apn

May 17: 94,191 COVID-19 cases in Illinois


In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker has ordered Illinois residents to stay at home. Executive Order No. 10 requires all residents to stay home, with exceptions for essential needs or business activities. Gatherings of 10 people or more are prohibited. The order extends through May 30, 2020.
COVID-19
Positive (Confirmed)
94,191     +1,734
Deaths
4177   +48
Total Tests Performed*
581,944    +20,295
Total Cases
(94,191  5-17-2020)  (92,457  5-16-2020) (90,369 5-15-2020) (87,937  5-14-2020) (84,698  5-13-2020) (83,021  5-12-2020)(79,007  5-11-2020) (77,741 5-10-2020)  (76,085  5-9-2020)(73,760  5-8-2020)(70,873 5-7-2020)(68,232  5-6-2020) (65,962  5-5-2020)  (63,840  5-4-2020) (61,499 5-3-2020) (58,505  5-2-2020)  56,055 5-1-2020) (52,918  4-30-2020) (50,355  4-29-3030) (48,102 4-28-2020) (45,883  4-27-2020) (43,903  4-26-2020) ( 41,777  4-25-2020) (39,658  4-24-2020)  (36,934 4-23-2020)  (35,108 4-22-2020)(33,059  4-21-2020) (31,508  4-20-2020) (30,357 4-19-2020)  (29,160  4-18-2020)  (27,575  4-17-2020) (25,733  4-16-2020)  (24,593 4-15-2020)  (23,247 4-14-2020)  (22,025 4-13-2020)  (20,852 4-12-2020) (19,180 4-11-2020 ) (17,887 4-10-2020) (16,422 4-9-2020) (15,078 4-8-2020) (13,549 4-7-2020) (12,262 4-6-2020) (11,256 4-5-2020) (10,357 4/4/2020) (8,904-- 4/3/2020) (7,695-- 4/2/2020)   (6,980-- 4/1/2020) (5,994-- 3/31/2020)  (5,05--7 3/30/2020) (4,596-- 3/29/2020)

Deaths

(4,177  5-17-2020) (4129 5-16-2020) (4,058  5-15-2020) (3,928  5-14-2020) (3,792 5-13-2020) (3,601 5-12-2020)  (3,459  5-11-2020) (3,406 5-10-2020) (3349 5-9-2020) (3,241 5-8-2020) (3,111  5-7-2020)(2,974  5-6-2020) ((2,838 5-5-2020)  (2662 5-4-2020) (2,618 5-3-2020) (2,559 5-2-2020) (2,457 5-1-2020) (2,355  4-30-2020) (2,215  4-29-2020)  (2,125  4-28-2020) (1,983  4-27-2020) (1,933 4-26-2020 )(1,874  4-25-2020) 1,795  4-22-2020) (1,688  2-23-2020) (1,585 4-22-2020) (1,468  4-21-2020) (1,349 4-20-2020)(1,290 4-18-2020)  (1,259  4-18-2020) (1,134  4-17-2020) (1,072  4-16-2020) (948 4-15-2020)  (866 4-14-2020) (794 4-13-2020)  (720 4-12-2020) (677 4-11-2020)(596 4-10-2020) (528 4-9-2020) (462 4-8-2020) (380 4-7-2020)(307 4-6-2020) (274 4-5-2020) (243—4-4-2020) (210-- 4-3-2020) (157 4-2-2020)(141 4/1/2020) (99 3/31/2020) (73 3/30/2020)  (65 3/29/2020)
Total Persons Tested*
(581,944  5-17-2020) (561,649  5-16-2020) (538,602 5-15-2020) (512,037  5-14-2020)  (489,359  5-13-2020)(471,691 5-12-2020) (442,425  5-11-2020) (429,984  5-10-2020) (416,331 5-9-2020)  (399,714 5-8-2020)  (379,033 5-7-2020)(361,260 5-6-2020) (346,286 5-5-20200 (333,147  5-4-2020) (319,313  5-3-2020) (299,892 5-2-2020)  (284,688  5-1-2020) (269,867 4-30-2020) (256,667  4-29-2020) (242,189  4-28-2020) (227,628  4-27-2020) (214,952 4-26-2020) (201,617 4-25-2020) (186,219  4-24-2020)(173,316 4-23-2020) (164,346 4-22-2020)  (154,997  4-21-2020) (148,358 4-20-2020) (143,318 4-19-2020)  (137,404  4-18-2020) (130,163  4-17-2020)  (122,589  4-16-2020)  (116,929 4-15-2020) (110,616 4-14-2020)  (105,768 4-13-2020) (100,735 4-12-2020) (92,779 4-11-2020) (87,527 4-10-2020) (86,857 4-9-2020) (75,066 4-8-2020) (68,732 4-7-2020) (62,942 4-6-2020) (58,983 4-5-2020) (53,581—4-4-2020)  (48,048-- 4-3-2020) (43,653-- 4/2/2020) (40,384-- 4/1/2020) (35,225-- 3-31-2020) (30,446-- 3/30/2020)  (27,762-- 3/29/2020)

*Total number of people reported electronically for testing of COVID-19 at IDPH, commercial or hospital laboratories. Deaths are included in the number of positive cases
All numbers displayed are provisional and subject to change.

Information to be updated daily.

Above is from: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics

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PROJECTIONS from:  http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/forecasting-covid-19-impact-hospital-bed-days-icu-days-ventilator-days-and-deaths Now being updated three times per week.

Total COVID-19 deaths projected through August 4, 2020 in Illinois (7,830 5-12-2020) (7395 5-10-2020)(6,353 5-4-2020)  (2,337  4-29-2020)   (2,316 4-27-2020)  (2093 4-21-2020) (2,259 4-15-2020) (1248 4-13-2020)

(777 4-10-2020)  (1,584  4-8-2020) (3,629 4-5-2020)(3,386 4-2-2020) (2,789 4-1-2020)  (2,326  3-31-2020)  (2,369 as of 3/30/2020)  (2,454 AS OF 3-26-2020)

COVID-19 deaths   Peak deaths  (95 deaths on 4-19-2020)               Previously (91 deaths on 4-12-2020)  (208 on 4-12-2020) (109 on 4-20-2020)

Illinois Population:  12.74 million        Projected deaths per million: 498.67

For a lengthier discussion of the projection model go to:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2020/03/forecasting-covid-19-impact-on-hospital.html and http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-imhs-corvid-19-model-is-so-wrong.html





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This page summarizes the latest data for COVID-19 in McHenry County. This data is provisional and subject to change.

McHenry County Cases


1,162

Source: McHenry County Department of Health

McHenry County Deaths


61

Source: McHenry County Department of Health

Above is from:  https://mchenry-county-coronavirus-response-mchenrycountygis.hub.arcgis.com/

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NORTHERN ILLINOIS (WREX) -- Four local county health departments in northern Illinois are adding to its list of new coronavirus cases Sunday.

Boone County Health Department reported 17 new cases Sunday, a day after reporting 8 new cases. Boone County now has a total of 305 confirmed cases and it remains at 14 deaths and 73 people who have recovered from the virus. None of the county's new cases are residents or staff members of Symphony Northwoods or Park Place of Belvidere.

The DeKalb County Health Department is also reporting more than a dozen new cases in its area. Health staff said 13 additional cases were reported Sunday, bringing its total to 263 and 2 deaths.

Carroll County Health Department also announced a new positive case. Health officials said a teenager tested positive, which makes the second teen to contract the virus in Carroll County. Overall, the county sits at 13 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. 10 residents have recovered from the disease.

In addition to northern Illinois counties reporting new cases, Winnebago County surpassed 1,500 confirmed cases and reported 57 new positive cases Sunday. This adds to its total now at 1,501 positive cases, including 348 recoveries and 41 deaths.

Boone, DeKalb, Carroll and Winnebago counties did not report any new deaths Sunday.

Devin Brooks



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Cases in U.S.

Updated  May 15, 2020
U.S. At A Glance

As of May 14, 2020

Total Cases*

1,467,065    +31,967


Total Deaths

88,709   +1,394

This page will be updated daily. Numbers close out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting

***On Saturday and Sunday, the numbers in COVID-19: U.S. at a Glance and the figure describing the cumulative total number of COVID-departments. CDC will update weekend numbers the following Monday to reflect health department updates.***

CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The outbreak first started in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other locations internationally, including the United States. In addition to CDC, many public health laboratories are now testing for the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19: U.S. at a Glance*†

  • Total cases (1,467,065  5-17-2020) (1,435,098 5-16-2020)  (1,412,121  5-15-2020) (1,384,930  5-14-2020) (1,364,061 5-13-2020) (1,342,594  5-12-2020) (1,324,488  5-11-20200  (1,300,696  5-10-2020) (1,274,036  5-9-2020) (1,248,040 5-8-2020) (1,219,066  5-7-2020)(1,193,813  5-6-2020) (1,171,510 5-5-2020)  (1,152,372 5-4-2020 )(1,092,815 5-2-2020)   (1,062,446  5-1-2020)(1,031,659  4-30-2020)  (1,005,147  4-28-2020) (957,875  4-27-2020) (928,619  4-26-2020)  (895,766  4-25-2020)   (865,585 4-24-2020)   (829,441   4-23-2020) (802,583  4-22-2020) (776,093 4-21-2020) (746,625 4-20-2020) (720,630 4-19-2020)  (661,712 4-17-2020)  (632,548 4-16-2020)  (605,390 4-15-2020) (579,005 4-14-2020)  (554,849 4-13-2020) (525,704 4-12-2020)  (492,416 4-11-2020)(459,165 4-10-2020) (427,460 4-9-2020) (395,011 4-8-2020)(374,329 4-7-2020) (330,891 4-6-2020) (304,826 4-5-2020) (277,205 4-4-2020) (239,279 4-3-2020) (213,144 4/2/2020)(186,101 4/1/2020) (163,539 3/31/2020) (140,904 3/30/2020)   (122,653  3-29-2020)
  • Total deaths  (88,709  5-17-2020)  (87,315  5-16-2020)  (85,990  5-20-2020) (83,947 5-15-2020) (82,246  5-13-2020)  (80,820  5-12-2020) (79,756  5-11-2020) (78,771  5-10-2020) (77,034  5-9-2020) (75,477  5-8-2020) (73,297  5-7-2020) (70,802 5-6-2020)  (68,279 5-5-2020) (67,456  5-4-2020)  (64,283  5-2-2020)  (62,405 5-1-2020)  (60,057  4-30-2020) (57,505  4-28-2020)  (53,922 4-27-2020) (52,459  4-26-2020)  (50,439 4-25-2020) (48,816  4-24-2020) (46,379 4-23-2020) (44,575 4-22-2020)  (41,759 4-21-2020) (39,083 4-20-2020)  (37,202 4-19-2020)  (33,049 4-17-2020)  (31,071 4-16-2020) (24,582 4-15-2020) (22,252 4-14-2020) (21,942 4-13-2020)  (20,486 4-12-2020)  (18,559 4-11-2020) (16,570 4-10-2020) (14,696 4-9-2020) (12,754 4-8-2020) (12,064 4-7-2020) (8,910 4-6-2020)(7,616 4-5-2020)  (6, 593 4-4-2020) (5,443 4-3-2020) (4,513 4-2-2020) (3,603 4-1-2020) (2,860 3/31/2020) (2,405 3/30/2020)   (2,112  3-29-2020)
  • Jurisdictions reporting cases: 55 (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas, and US Virgin Islands)

* Data include both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020, with the exception of testing results for persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China and Japan. State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases. In the event of a discrepancy between CDC cases and cases reported by state and local public health officials, data reported by states should be considered the most up to date.

† Numbers updated Saturday and Sunday are not confirmed by state and territorial health departments. These numbers will be modified when numbers are updated on Monday.(

Cases of COVID-19 Reported in the US, by Source of Exposure*†

* Data include both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020, with the exception of testing results for persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China and Japan. State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases. In the event of a discrepancy between CDC cases and cases reported by state and local public health officials, data reported by states should be considered the most up to date.

† CDC is no longer reporting the number of persons under investigation (PUIs) that have been tested, as well as PUIs that have tested negative. Now that states are testing and reporting their own results, CDC’s numbers are not representative of all testing being done nationwide.

Above is from:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

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Now being updated three times per week.

  For discussion go to: http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2020/05/ihme-model-nearly-doubles-death.html

PROJECTIONS:   US COVID-19 Deaths thru 8-4-2020) (147,040 5-12-2020)  (137,184 5-10-2020) (134,475 5-4-2020)  (72,433   4-29-2020)  (74,073 4-27-2020) (65,976 4-21-2020)  (60,308 4-15-2020) (68,841 4-13-2020)  (61,543 4-10-2020) (60,415 4-8-2020) (81,766 4-5-2020) (93,531 4/3/2020) (93,765 4/1/2020)   (83.967 3/31/2020)    ( 82,141 3/30/2020);  Peak Daily    (2150 4-13-2020)

Older Peak Daily Deaths (2,212 on 4-12-2010)  (1,983 on 4-11-2020)  (2,644 on 4-16-2020)(3,130 on 4-16-2020) ( 2214 on 3/31/2020) (2,214 on 3/31/2 020) (2,271 3/30/2020)

US Population:  331 million    Projected deaths per million: 406.27

FROM:  http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/forecasting-covid-19-impact-hospital-bed-days-icu-days-ventilator-days-and-deaths Now being updated three times per week

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COVID-19 Tracker   Great site to find specific county, state, country numbers is at:  https://bing.com/covid?form=msntrk  Site supplies case numbers, recovered cases and deaths by country and US state.

World population: 7.8  BILLION

4,687,320

Active cases

2,653,747

+33,970

Recovered cases

1,720,446

+53,612

Fatal cases

313,127

+3,117