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Re the premise of my prior post -- that discounts in bronze and gold plans will be weaker in the 2020 ACA marketplace: I've stumbled on a wild card, and it's pretty wild. Let's start where we did yesterday:
Re the premise of my prior post -- that discounts in bronze and gold plans will be weaker in the 2020 ACA marketplace: I've stumbled on a wild card, and it's pretty wild. Let's start where we did yesterday:
CMS has published ACA marketplace premiums for 2020. The top-line news is that premiums have dropped 3-4%. The key point for subsidized enrollees (69% of the ACA-compliant market) is that silver loading has gone into reverse -- and consequently there will be fewer discounted plans available. That's because benchmark silver plan premiums -- the second-cheapest silver plan in each market, which determines subsidy size -- have dropped more sharply (-4%) than average premiums for the cheapest plan at each metal level (-3%).Okay, so discounts stemming from silver loading* may be reduced on average, and in particular, discounts in cheapest silver may be the most impaired. Now for the wild card: Oscar is offering a $0 deductible bronze plan in Florida and Texas (and maybe elsewhere, but those two states account for a quarter of all ACA marketplace enrollment). In Miami, for a 40 year-old at an income of $17,300 -- about 140% FPL -- it's zero premium too; at $24,900 income (just below 200% FPL) it's $79/month.
