Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplace, is inviting health plans and issuers that have found particular success in serving the new population on the exchanges to present their insights and innovations at a forum Thursday, June 9.
During the forum, presenters will describe strategies around consumer engagement, provider contracting, and care coordination models tailored by population data, Counihan said in a blog released Monday.
Insurers Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, BCBS of Massachusetts, CareSource, Horizon BCBS, SelectHealth, UPMC, and the Society of Actuaries are expected to be among those discussing techniques to help companies offer better coverage at a lower cost, he said.
"We're excited to bring together national leaders within the marketplace to discuss innovative strategies for providing private health insurance coverage," Counihan said the blog. "Whether you are a patient, a provider, a business, a health plan, or a taxpayer, the long-term stability of the Marketplace is in everyone's interest – both families who need access to quality, affordable coverage they can count on, and companies that have a chance to expand into a new market with millions of consumers."
The conversation will be streamed online at www.HHS.gov/live .
A time for the presentation was not released.
Now in its third year, the marketplace, along with expanded Medicaid and other Affordable Care Act provisions, has dropped the number of Americans without health insurance to the lowest it's ever been, Counihan said.
Four years ago, the individual market relied on a business model of denying coverage to those most likely to need it, imposing limits and carve-outs on covered services, and capping insurance coverage well short of what a serious illness can cost, he said.
"Everyone expected that it would take time for companies to adjust their pricing and practices to what is effectively a new market," Counihan said. "And it's also no surprise that the pace of adaptation has varied across issuers. Some companies have struggled so far in this new market, while others are already succeeding in providing affordable care through a sustainable business model."