Changes To Healthcare Act Could Impact Oklahomans

Right now, open enrollment is going on for healthcare through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Oklahomans who want to be covered when the new year starts only have five more days to sign up, and there are some major changes this year; the most-noticeable: sticker shock, premiums are skyrocketing.

"With my federal subsidy, what I had been paying out-of-pocket was $80 a month for my health and dental. It was going to go up, according to my insurance company, to $240 a month," said ACA enrollee, Anna Holloway.

Insurance for next year looked out of reach Holloway.

"I was looking at the possibility of going without insurance and paying the penalty because it would have been cheaper. I was looking at that and then having to give up my medication," she said.

Premiums are up 30 to 35 percent in Oklahoma over last year. The insurance companies claim they underestimated costs for the first two years of the federal exchange.

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Blue Cross said for every $1 of premium paid by members, it's paid out $1.33; so, one of its cheapest plans, used by 40,000 Oklahomans, is going away.

Ashley Hudgeons with Blue Cross Blue Shield said, "Blue Choice network is one of our highest cost network options, so we needed to make some adjustments."

Individual Blue Choice PPO customers are being offered other plans.

Blue Cross is the only original company staying in the Oklahoma exchange - it's being joined by insurance giant United Healthcare - all other insurers have dropped out.

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Another change for 2016: Only United Healthcare offers St. John as a provider in the individual market. It's not offered by Blue Cross, which is offering only St. Francis and Hillcrest.

Morton Health Services is helping Holloway find a plan she can afford.

"When you're already poor…when you're already scared, asking for help is really hard. It's a whole lot harder when you're scared because if they say no it means a lot more," she said.

Up to 85 percent of enrollees last year qualified for some form of tax credit or assistance.

The Department of Human Services said most people can find monthly premiums well under $100 with tax credits.