CMS announces 2015 transitional reinsurance program coinsurance rate

The transitional reinsurance program coinsurance rate will be an estimated 55.1% for the 2015 benefit year, but could be raised if reinsurance contributions exceed requests for payments, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Friday. This rate is higher than the 50% originally anticipated by CMS for 2015 payments. The temporary reinsurance program is one of three programs established by the Affordable Care Act to help stabilize premiums in the individual health insurance market. For 2015, the reinsurance program will pay a portion (estimated at 55.1%) of covered claims costs between $45,000 and $250,000, CMS said. On June 30, the agency expects to send each issuer of an eligible plan a report on its initial estimated reinsurance payments for the 2015 benefit year, which will be reduced by the amount of early reinsurance payments. According to a February report, the program collected about $5.5 billion in reinsurance contributions for the 2015 benefit year and expects to collect about $1 billion more by Nov. 15. It also has about $1.7 billion in 2014 reinsurance contributions to use for 2015 payments.