New report highlights individual insurance market changes

Most people in Pennsylvania — like the rest of the country — are not affected by health insurance originally slated for cancellation this January, according to a new report from the consumer advocacy group, Families USA.

In a state with 10.6 million residents, the analysis found that about 60,000 out of the approximate 680,000 Pennsylvanians who now have individual health coverage could be affected by the possible policy cancellations.

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said most of those with individual health insurance don’t keep policies for very long. In Pennsylvania, about three quarters of individual policyholders are also low income and may qualify for subsidies to buy coverage through the new marketplace.

“The net result is that only a very tiny portion of the non-elderly population are at risk of losing their current individual health insurance market plan due to the Affordable Care Act,” said Pollack.

Several insurers had notified policyholders that as of Jan. 1 they’d be canceling plans that don’t meet new standards under the Affordable Care Act. Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner believes about 250,000 residents got letters.

Last week, President Obama announced insurers could continue coverage previously slated for cancellation. Area insurers and regulators are still sorting out what they’ll do.