The high risk of high-risk pools
When the health reform law’s high-risk insurance pools launched last summer, there was a lot worry that the new coverage option would be swamped by demand from uninsured individual. Then, there was worry about too little demand: The insurance pools saw anemic enrollment, with some states enrolling just a few dozen subscribers. And now, there’s a new worry: The high-risk pools attracted such expensive patients, with costly medical needs, that nearly a quarter are running short on cash.
Nine states have asked HHS for additional funds to continue running their Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans, the program meant to cover some who insurers have denied coverage between now and 2014, when insurers’ ability to discriminate on preexisting conditions ends. Two states, New Hampshire and California, have requested additional funds twice now, as their high-risk pool’s bills exceed expected costs.
