What Happens When My Health Insurance Isn’t Renewing?

It’s becoming more common for insurance companies to announce that they will no longer be offering certain plans or doing business in certain areas during the next year’s Open Enrollment Period, or that they are going out of business. During the last enrollment period, the insurance companies below made such announcements.

• Aetna in Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, and New Jersey
• Aetna Innovation Health in Virginia
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Georgia
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Indiana
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Ohio
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Maine
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Nevada
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Virginia
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Wisconsin
• Anthem Blue Cross in California
• Asuris Northwest Health in Washington
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
• BridgeSpan Health in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
• Cigna in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Texas
• Humana in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas
• Minuteman Health in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
• Regence BlueShield in Oregon and Washington
• Wellmark in Iowa

See below for more information about some of these plans.

You may have received a notice that your 2018 plan was not being renewed from a company not on this list.

If your insurance company isn’t renewing your plan, we want you to know that you have nothing to worry about—your current policy most likely can still be used through the end of 2018, and you will have time to replace it before it expires. If your coverage is ending before the end of 2018, you will have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) due to loss of coverage. This will give you time to find a new insurance company.

Why Can’t I Keep my Plan?

Sometimes insurance companies decide that selling certain Obamacare plans in the individual market no longer works for their business model. You may have one of these plans. While the insurance company will most likely honor your original contract term, it has no obligation to renew your 2018 plan once it expires.

But what does it mean if you received a notice that your insurance company isn’t renewing your health plan?

• If you have an affected plan, it means that you will have to pick a new health plan during Open Enrollment this November. If your coverage is expiring before the end of 2018, you will have a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) due to loss of coverage. The health insurance company should tell you when the SEP ends so you can choose new coverage before that date.
• If you have any other kind of plan, such as a group plan through your employer or a Medicare Supplement plan, your coverage may not have been affected by this announcement. Be sure to call your insurance company if you have any concerns about your other plans.

There is no way to avoid getting a new plan for 2019 if your plan isn’t being renewed. You can, however, keep your plan for the rest of 2018—as long as you continue to pay your monthly premiums. There are exceptions to being able to keep your plan through the end of 2018 if the insurance company is leaving the marketplace sooner. If you aren’t sure how long your current coverage will last, be sure to call your insurance company.

What Can I Do (and When)?

The Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for 2019 health coverage begins on November 1, 2018. The plan details for 2019 won’t even be available until OEP starts. It won’t be possible to replace your plan until then, unless you have an earlier Special Enrollment Period (SEP) due to loss of coverage. If your policy expires on December 31, 2018, like most plans, you will have an SEP that won’t begin until 45 days before your policy’s termination date. If this is the case, your SEP may mostly line up with OEP.

Open Enrollment will end December 15, 2018, though it may vary in your state. While you can’t get your 2019 coverage squared away before November 1, 2018, (unless you qualify for an earlier SEP) you will be able to replace your 2018 policy before it ever expires, or if you want, you can wait. But, if you are uninsured for more than 2 months of the year, you will have to pay the tax penalty that keeps increasing in cost.

Which Companies Are Not Renewing Plans?

These companies did not offer Affordable Care Act (ACA) on-exchange individual health insurance plans in 2018.

• Aetna (Affects Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, and Virginia. Affects small group insurance only in New Jersey. Aetna says it will continue to offer off-exchange individual health insurance plans in most of the areas that will not have Aetna’s on-exchange options.)
• Aetna Innovation Health in Virginia (Affects ACA-compliant individual plans only, both on and off exchange. Members may keep coverage through Dec. 31, 2017.)
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Ohio (Affects all ACA plans and all but one off-exchange plan in Ohio.)
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Georgia (Reduction of service affects on- and off-exchange plans in 74 counties in Georgia, including metro Atlanta. Will serve 85 mostly rural counties.)
• Anthem BlueCross BlueShield in Virginia (Will only offer off-exchange plans in Washington and Scott counties and in Bristol, VA.)
• Asuris Northwest Health in Washington (Affects counties except Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan, and Whitman.)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (Affects Kansas and Missouri. Off-exchange plans won’t be offered either.)
• BridgeSpan Health in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (The exception is that individual health plan options will be offered only in Washington’s Klickitat County).
• Cigna (Affects Cigna Access PPO plans in Arizona.)
• Humana (Affects Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. Off-exchange plans won’t be offered either.)
• Minuteman Health in Massachusetts and New Hampshire (Also affects small group health insurance plans in NH.)
• Wellmark in Iowa (Could change its mind before 2018.)

Where Can I Turn for Help?

Turn to us! We can help, and our service is free!

HealthMarkets understands that receiving a notice that your plan is not being renewed is unexpected and maybe even frustrating. We can get you through this and make sure you’ve got new coverage for 2019, or sooner if you need it.

Give your HealthMarkets agent a call if you have any additional questions. We also recommend setting a future appointment—for November 1, 2018— so your agent can explain all the plan options once Open Enrollment starts and help you choose the right coverage for you at the best price. If you don’t have an agent, call us at (800) 827-9990 to find one near you.