Affordability Work Group - Maryland Health Benefit Exchange

2022 Affordability Work Group

MHBE convened the Affordability Workgroup in 2022 to generate recommendations to enhance the affordability of plans on Maryland Health Connection. Consumer cost sharing like deductibles and copays continue to be a challenge for some enrollees, even as premiums are held steady by the state reinsurance program. The workgroup explored ways that MHBE can continue to improve affordability, by revisiting MHBE’s Value Plan requirements and considering how MHBE could adjust cost-sharing to promote health equity.

The group will reconvene in Fall 2022 to assess the first year of results from the Young Adult Subsidy Pilot Program, which originated with the first Affordability Workgroup.

Work Group Recommendation Report

Work Group Members

Work Group Charter

Meeting Dates

2019 Affordability Work Group

As the State Reinsurance Program (SRP) reduced premiums for unsubsidized Marylanders, it had the adverse consequence of reducing advanced premium tax credits (APTC) for some enrollees. Specifically, this has been experienced by enrollees who live in areas where premium decreases for the second lowest cost silver plan (SLCSP) were greater than the reductions in the premium of their current private health plan.

In the 2020 Final Letter to Issuers Participating on Maryland Health Connection, MHBE was tasked to create a work group to help determine policy solutions to:

Reduce out-of-pocket costs
Maximize APTC for subsidized consumers
Maximize affordability for unsubsidized consumers. The work group will provide recommendations to the MHBE Board of Trustees on policy proposals deemed most beneficial to increase affordability for consumers.

Final Report Affordability Work Group

Comments on the Affordability Work Group Report

Work Group Members

Work Group Charter