Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine says he was surprised by the announcement last week from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare that PCIP – Pre-existing condition insurance plans- a transition insurance program that is part of the Affordable Care Act - would cease to take new enrollees.
Pennsylvania’s plan called 'Pennsylvania Fair Care,' was set up in 2010, has 6,500 enrollees and averages about 200 new enrollees a month.
“That plan was designed under the Affordable Care Act to serve as a transition for folks who had pre-existing conditions and had trouble finding or affording insurance were able to purchase it through this federal state type program,” said Consedine, “Our expectation was that the enrollment would stop sometime in late Fall.”
The plan will stop taking new enrollees on March 2nd. The federal plan ceased enrollment on February 16th.
The reasoning, according to CMS’s website is that there is a limited amount of funding for this program from Congress. This way, they can ensure there is enough money to cover those who have already enrolled until the health insurance marketplace opens up in the Fall.
