Kreidler: Klickitat County will have two insurers in 2018

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the following statement about his efforts to resolve the lack of individual health insurance options in Klickitat County in 2018.

“After several weeks of discussions, I am pleased that two insurers have stepped up to offer insurance in Klickitat County next year.

“Molina Healthcare of Washington (Molina) and BridgeSpan Health Company (BridgeSpan) will offer plans inside the Exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder, ensuring that people who buy their own health insurance in Klickitat County can get premium subsidies, if they qualify. Currently, more than 80 percent of people enrolled through the Exchange in Klickitat County receive an average monthly premium subsidy of $369.

“BridgeSpan also will offer plans outside of the Exchange in Klickitat County.

“This is great news for the people of Klickitat County. We’ve worked diligently to see if we could convince the insurers to reconsider both Grays Harbor and Klickitat counties. I think we all shared concern for the people in these areas and were worried about them not having any coverage options next year, aside from the state’s high-risk pool (WSHIP).

“Last week, we announced that Premera Blue Cross (Premera) would remain in Grays Harbor County, selling plans inside the Exchange.

“I’m very grateful to Molina, BridgeSpan and Premera for the work they did to re-evaluate their coverage areas and for thinking seriously about the impact these decisions would have on consumers. Every county needs coverage and today, we have that.”

Kreidler's office is reviewing all rate proposals for 2018. Rates and coverage areas may change during the review. No final decisions will be made until early fall.