WA: Exchange Board Certifies 7 QHP & 4 QDP Issuers

At a special meeting of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange Board today, the Board moved to certify Bridgespan, Community Health Plan of Washington, Group Health Cooperative, Molina Healthcare of Washington, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, LifeWise, and Premera Blue Cross.

Four dental carriers were also certified: Delta Dental of Washington, Kaiser Northwest, LifeWise, and Premera.

Dental Health Services hearings ended yesterday, and their hope is to work with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to have a quick turn around so that the Board can vote to certify them by Friday.

Coordinated Care’s appeal was approved yesterday by the Administrative Law Judge. The Judge ruled in favor of Coordinated Care’s network submission: all medically necessary services will be covered for all enrollees without an added financial burden to members. The Judge ruled in favor of Coordinated Care in other ways, and that rewording their existing application would suffice for the few remaining objections.

The OIC and Coordinated Care will now work together to address these concerns, and the Judge’s ruling provided a road map to resolving these issues quickly through the cooperation of the two organizations. The Judge offered her services to assist with the cooperation between these two organizations.

The carriers awaiting approval will have until Friday, the federal deadline, for approval by the OIC and the Board. The Board will have an additional meeting tomorrow or Friday to approve the final plans going through the appeal process: Coordinated Care, Dental Health Services and one additional QDP.