Silver loading 2020 update: The sky isn't falling

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Last week I noted that the discounts for subsidized ACA marketplace enrollees generated by silver loading (see explanation at bottom)* are likely to be somewhat reduced in 2020, given that a) average unsubsidized premiums are down 3-4%, b) and average premiums for the benchmark silver plan are down more sharply (-4%) than average premiums for the cheapest plan at each metal level (-3%).

Let's see how price spreads and discounts at each metal level have changed in the counties with the highest marketplace enrollment nationwide. Together, these 9 counties hold 16% of all on-exchange ACA marketplace enrollment.

Cheap and narrow Molina gains market share in Covered California

Yesterday, Covered California released some selected health insurers' sales data. The press release emphasized the fact that insurers that cut their prices in 2016 gained market share. 

As I've been tracking the offerings performance of Medicaid managed care providers (MCOs) that are selling on the ACA exchanges, I was interested in the snippets about Molina, an MCO that fields narrow networks on the exchanges and probably pays providers something close to Medicaid rates. Here's what CoveredCA had to say about Molina in CA in 2016:

Molina Healthcare lowered its rates for 2016 and ended up enrolling more than 50,000 new consumers during open enrollment, which, when added to the more than 37,000 who selected Molina in renewal, means it has more than 88,000 enrolled, the fifth-largest total statewide...

Rational choice in the ACA marketplace - Santa Cruz edition

[reposted]

Attention, ACA shopper #1: You can buy a silver health plan  for $117 per month with a $500 deductible, or a bronze plan that costs $22 per month -- with a $5,000 deductible. What'll it be?

Attention, ACA shopper #2: Same choice as for shopper #1, but in your case the silver plan is just $88 per month, and the bronze, $22.