17-07 – Publication of Proposed Health Insurance Rates for 2018, July 21, 2017

INSURANCE BULLETIN 17-07 Publication of Proposed Health Insurance Rates for 2018 Issued: July 21, 2017

The following Bulletin is issued by the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (“Department”) to inform and educate the reader on the specified issue. It does not have the force and effect of law, is not an evaluation of any specific facts or circumstances, and is not binding on the Department. See section 374.015, RSMo.

To: All health carriers writing health insurance or health benefit plan coverage in Missouri

From: Director Chlora Lindley-Myers

Re: Publication of Proposed Health Insurance Rates for 2018

The Department originally issued Bulletin 17-03 on April 18, 2017 outlining key dates related to health insurance rate filings for plan year 2018. In that Bulletin, the Department noted that federal law requires “Effective Rate Review” states to post proposed rates for plans they call single risk pool and transitional plans on August 1, 2017, and the Department noted it did not intend to post proposed rates any earlier than that date.

Since Bulletin 17-03 was issued, there were several significant developments impacting the individual health insurance market in Missouri for 2018. To ensure the Department can still meet its objectives and maintain its status as an effective rate review state, and after consulting with officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department has decided to modify the posting date for all proposed rates for the aforementioned plans. The new posting date for such proposed rates is September 1, 2017. The Department invites the public to comment on the proposed rates when they are published on September 1, 2017. Except for the

1 date of posting of the proposed rates, all other information included in Bulletin 17-03 remains unchanged.

For Additional Rate Filing Guidance General Instructions available via the System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing (SERFF) for Missouri have been updated. Additional filing guidelines with details for the content and structure of health insurance and health benefit plan rate filings are posted on the Department’s website.

Any questions or comments regarding this Bulletin should be directed to Molly White at 573- 526-4106 or via email to Molly.White@insurance.mo.gov

2