MRMIB Unveils Rates, Details on New High-Risk Insurance Pool
On Thursday, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board announced premium rates and said it has selected two companies to help administer California's new high-risk health insurance pool, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The federally supported pool -- called the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan -- is the first major initiative from the federal health reform law to take effect in California. To be eligible for the new pool, residents must be legal residents, uninsured for six months prior to applying and have a pre-existing health condition.
California still must finalize its contract with the federal government before it can receive $761 million to run the program.
Premium Rates Set
MRMIB set an array of premium rates that vary based on county and age. In the San Francisco Bay Area, rates will range from $140 monthly for people ages 15 and younger to $1,003 monthly for residents older than age 74 (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/6).
In San Diego, premiums will range from $127 monthly for those younger than age 15 to $904 monthly for those older than age 74.
Administrators Selected
MRMIB tapped the Virginia-based firm Maximus to manage enrollment for the high-risk pool and selected the Pennsylvania-based company HealthNow Administrative Services to oversee contracts with medical service providers.
Applicants Lining Up
Residents can file applications this month to begin receiving coverage through the pool in September (Lavelle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/5).
As of Thursday, almost 4,000 state residents had requested applications, according to the Chronicle.
The state estimates that the new pool will be able to cover up to 25,000 residents. California's existing high-risk pool -- which will continue to operate alongside the federally supported pool -- has the capacity to cover about 7,100 residents (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/6).
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