Maine Community Health wants to insure large employers
Lewiston-based Maine Community Health Options has applied to offer health insurance plans to large businesses, expanding from the individual and small group plans that it began selling earlier this month.
The Sun Journal reported the nonprofit insurer has filed an application with the Maine Bureau of Insurance to offer plans to groups of more than 50 people, which would allow it to break into the market for large employers.
CEO Kevin Lewis said the move would allow the insurer to continue coverage for small group employers that might sign up and then exceed what he called a “rather arbitrary” threshold of 50 workers.
Lewis told the paper that the insurance co-op, which was started alongside 23 others as part of the Affordable Care Act, is in good financial shape for the end of this year and the start of 2014.
Vermont Public Radio reported in September that a Vermont-based insurance co-op would shut down after the federal government pulled its financial support and the Washington Post reported that some others are struggling. CBS reported that some co-ops elsewhere in the country have sought to change their business plans after glitches with the federal exchange website hampered efforts to get people enrolled through its debut month, October.
Last week, MCHO asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it could bypass the federal site and enroll people directly through its own website. For now, people can only qualify for insurance subsidies if they enroll through the federal exchange via the website or by paper or phone application.
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