Insurers say 80 percent of ObamaCare enrollees have paid premiums

thehill.com ^ | may 7, 2014 |  Ferdous Al-Faruque and Elise Viebeck 

[lowbridge]

Major health insurers say at least 80 percent of the people enrolled in their ObamaCare plans have paid their first premium.

Aetna, which offers ObamaCare plans in 17 states, told a House committee roughly 500,000 of their 600,000 enrollees had paid a premium by the third week of April.

Paul Wingle, an executive with Aetna, said the company's payment rate has been in the "low- to mid-80 percent range" and suggested it would rise.

"These are dynamic figures and do not reflect final enrollment numbers, as some enrollees have not yet reached their payment due dates," Wingle said.

Frank Coyne, a vice president of Blue Cross Blue Shield, also confirmed about 80 to 85 percent of their ObamaCare insured have so far paid their first premium.

Health insurance provider Wellpoint, which serves 14 federal and state exchanges, says up to 90 percent of those who have signed up for their plans and have met their premium deadlines have paid up.

However, when looking at total number of applicants who have signed up but have not necessarily hit their payment deadlines, Dennis Matheis a president at Wellpoint, said about 70 percent have made payments.

[rarestia]

While I don’t have empirical evidence to support my claim, I don’t believe this to be true.

[JPG]

Big deal. What will the payments in future months look like as the payees continue to be squeezed and grow resentful?

[Graybeard58]

I believe a large per centage haven’t a clue about deductibles or copays.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I call BULLSCAT!

[petitfour]

I can believe it. They had to enroll as they discovered when filing their taxes. Then they paid their first premium with their tax refund.

[CommieCutter]

I have an Aetna employer provided plan in my state but its what I’ve always had before Obamacare. I wonder if they’re counting plans like mine as well.

[petitfour]

But I have no evidence of this. It is a guess on my part.

[SoFloFreeper]

They say what Der Fuhrer TELLS them to say.

[Fresh Wind]

Are they counting government subsidy payments as paid premiums?

[Safrguns]

Very easy to believe that 80% have paid their FIRST premium.

Very DIFFICULT to believe that most can afford to KEEP paying their premiums.

I wonder what percentage of people next year will ATTEMPT to cancel their insurance because rates are going to double again?

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

""These are dynamic figures and do not reflect final enrollment numbers, as some enrollees have not yet reached their payment due dates," Wingle said. "

What is he talking about? My agent tells me that no insurance goes into effect till money is paid, when I sign up for anything I have to pay a binder.

[Mouton]

80% is good eh? How many who had insurance before they were forced to have it actually paid their first month’s insurance bill? My guess, 100%.

[cableguymn]

paid in full or just the subsidy was paid by the government?

[grumpygresh]

Insurance companies are all about lying. Are they inflating their claims? Of course, and they are no doubt being encouraged by 0bama. Insurance companies need to say that patients have paid their premiums, otherwise providers will refuse to see the patients, because providers bear the risk for patients with unpaid premiums.

[mykroar]

Major health insurers say at least 80 percent of the people enrolled in their ObamaCare plans have paid their first premium.

Don't believe it, but even if it's true, is that something to crow about?

[ThunderSleeps]

I have an Aetna employer provided plan in my state but its what I’ve always had before Obamacare. I wonder if they’re counting plans like mine as well.

That could be. Say your health insurance plan meets the criteria of obamacare - ie. you weren't forced into another plan. So if you happened to renew this year - personally or through your employer - then I wonder if they are counting you (and me) as part of that 70% or more???

Can't say I blame the big insurance companies. They don't want federal regulators and auditors putting them out of business... A definite, very real threat with this group of criminals running things.

[usconservative]

What will the payments in future months look like as the payees continue to be squeezed and grow resentful?

BINGO!! How many of those payments were made because surgery/some other need was imminently present and as soon as those medical needs are met, people will stop paying?

I'm also curious to know how many of those 80% went on MEDICAID and pay a minimal "premium"? Why doesn't the media do a deep-dive and investigate who these "80%" are??????

[Mechanicos]

There have been a lot of bogus numbers coming out the ministry of information lately. Global warming, Unemployment, Inflation, Economic growth, ‘Budget surplus,” Commiecare “enrollment,” Commiecare “payees,” etc.

All these creative numbers rely on an audience who cannot do math, nor understand economics, science and history.

[KeyLargo]

Health insurance company CEOs jumped into bed with Obama believing that they will get millions of dollars in new premiums once Obamacare is fully implemented.

They are still in bed with Obama and are enjoying the warm and fuzzy feelings.

Health Insurance CEO Pay Sky-Rockets in 2013 Some See Their Compensation Double PR Newswire

PHILADELPHIA, May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Healthcare-NOW!: Health Insurance CEO Pay Sky-Rockets in 2013

Chief executive officers at Fortune 500 health insurance companies, who have opposed new regulations under the Affordable Care Act, emerged this month as one of the ACA's greatest beneficiaries. Recently filed financial reports show that average compensation for these top nine health insurance CEOs rose by more than 19 percent in 2013, while several of the nation's largest insurers more than doubled CEO pay.

The biggest winner was Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, who received a staggering $30.7 million compensation package in 2013. This marks the largest payout to any health insurance executive since passage of the ACA and exceeded the compensation of the next two highest paid health insurer CEOs combined. The Bertolini pay package, which included a large "special one-time performance-based retention award," represented a 131 percent increase over his $13.3 million compensation in 2012. (See table below.)

Molina Healthcare and Centene, both Fortune 500 insurers that specialize in privately managed Medicaid plans, roughly doubled CEO compensation in 2013. J. Mario Molina received $11.9 million, up from $5 million in 2012, while Centene's CEO Michael Neidorff made $14.5 million, up from $8.5 million. Overall, average CEO pay across Fortune 500 health insurers rose from $11.6 million in 2012 to $13.9 million in 2013.

The disclosures of higher CEO pay coincided with several of the same companies announcing better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter of 2014, even as they signaled that patients and businesses should prepare for increased insurance premiums in 2015.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1895745#ixzz317zqxBla