Pennsylvania to Break Up With HealthCare.gov

Pennsylvania is following in the footsteps of Nevada and dumping HealthCare.gov.

The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority plans to set up its own, state-run Affordable Care Act (ACA) public exchange plan program for the 2021 plan year, rather than continuing to rely on HealthCare.gov to sign people up for coverage and administer people’s public exchange program application files.

For 2019 coverage, about 370,000 Pennsylvania residents used HealthCare.gov to sign up for health coverage.

The ACA Exchange Program

The ACA created a system of government-run public exchange programs, or web-based supermarkets for health insurance, that came to life in October 2013, with the first coverage taking effect in January 2014.

The system helps people compare plans from private carriers and sign up for the plans. It also runs the ACA premium tax credit subsidy program, which helps people pay for exchange plan coverage.

States can choose whether to run their own state-based public exchange programs or to let the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services handle exchange services, through HealthCare.gov.

GetInsured

Pennsylvania has awarded GetInsured, an exchange program company based in Mountain View, California, a seven-year exchange setup and administration contract.

GetInsured has been helping Nevada shift to having a state-based exchange program, and away from using HealthCare.gov. GetInsured also supports the state-based exchange programs in Califoria, Idaho, Minnesota and Washington state.