State HIX Competition Grows

Many residents in New England are going to have more choices in the public exchanges this fall, as some insurers' growth strategies are tested.

After New Hampshire’s first open enrollment period — where WellPoint’s Anthem Blue Cross was the only carrier and one with a narrow network that dismayed some consumer and hospital advocates — four insurers have announced plans to sell on and off the Granite State’s exchange.

The New Hampshire Insurance Department has just licensed Maine Community Health Options, the second federally-supported cooperative plan to enter the state, following the Massachusetts-based co-op Minuteman Health. Along with them, Harvard Pilgrim and Assurant Health will be selling plans for the first time in the exchange, leaving some New Hampshire residents with five choices of carriers, when just last year they only had one.

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Source: Healthcare Payer News