A notice sent to Vermont Health Connect customers telling them that if they’re happy with their current coverage they will be renewed automatically did not mention that premiums for those plans have increased.
Those customers should expect another letter from their insurance carrier detailing 2015 premiums, according to a state official.
“The carriers’ notice tells them what plan they are mapped into, and what the 2015 premium will be,” Lawrence Miller, chief of health care reform, wrote in an email Monday.
The first letter said those who don’t need to report changes in their income or personal circumstances can avoid the exchange website and have their policies renewed.
The first bill will be sent Dec. 5 and reflect any subsidies, which will allow time for customers to amend their plan selection or update their information before Jan. 1. Customers can change their plan anytime before the Feb. 15 end of the open enrollment period.
Those receiving premium subsidies, who do not have a change in income or personal circumstances, will not pay more in premiums. That’s because premium subsidies are based on a percentage of the insured’s income, not the premium amounts. Miller said that will be reflected in the letters sent out by the carriers.
Advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the clarity of notices sent from state health care programs, and this is no different, said Donna Sutton Fay, director of the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund.
The Affordable Care Act is “inherently difficult to understand and explain clearly in a notice,” because it offers consumers public subsidies for private insurance products, said Fay who works as an exchange navigator.
Existing users, as well as anyone who plans to purchase insurance during the upcoming open enrollment period, which starts Nov. 15, should check their eligibility and the amount of premium assistance they can receive using the online subsidy calculator. While the Vermont Health Connect website is currently offline, the subsidy calculator is functional.
The tool is improved over last year, Fay said, and will allow people to pick the best coverage option based on their needs and income. If people still have questions, they should reach out to exchange navigators, Fay said.
