Individual Market News
Published June 10, 2019
Think it’s too soon to be talking about open enrollment? We say there’s no such thing! Here’s some information from our 2020 filing to help you start planning for next year.
The following product and rate information is subject to approval from the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC).
Counties
Premera Blue Cross individual plans will be in seven counties next year: Franklin, Grays Harbor, King, Kitsap, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum. Residents in these counties can purchase Premera individual medical and pediatric dental plans on the exchange.
Take a look at the 2020 county map to see the counties where our individual plans will be offered.
Medical plans
Premera will offer individual plans exclusively on the exchange in 2020. All plans will be exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans, which means no referrals are needed to see a specialist. In addition to the 10 essential benefits, most plans feature:
- First two visits with a designated primary care provider covered in full
- $15 copay for telehealth services
- Low copay and no deductible for preferred generic drugs on gold and silver plans
Next year all PersonalCare plans will be discontinued. We’ll keep you posted on what we’ll do to make the transition as smooth as possible for any clients who are currently on a PersonalCare plan.
Our benefit summaries will be coming soon so you can easily view our 2020 plan options.
Pediatric dental
Premera’s stand-alone pediatric dental plans will continue to be sold on the exchange. Having the option to purchase both medical and pediatric dental plans from Premera provides a more seamless, integrated experience for your clients.
Lower rates
We’ve filed lower rates for next year – an average decrease of 7.3% across all individual plans. Check out the OIC news release about the 2020 rate filing for the individual market.
The nine geographical rating areas in Washington state will remain the same.
Same network, different name
The Premera network for individual plans will be the same in 2020 but with a new name: Individual Signature network. This means your clients will continue to have access to major hospital systems such as University of Washington Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, and Providence Health and Services.
Commission
You will continue to earn commission in 2020. You’ll hear more about the commission schedule closer to open enrollment.
Next steps
Keep on top of the latest news from Premera individual by reading Producer News. You’ll find important information about plans, programs and changes for 2020.