By Peter Frost
Tribune staff reporter
5:34 p.m. CDT, June 12, 2014
Eight insurance companies are seeking approval to sell 504 separate health plans next year on the Illinois health insurance exchange, a noteworthy increase from 2014, Illinois said Thursday.
The surge in interest in the Illinois exchange allays widespread concerns that carriers would find the prospect of offering coverage under the Affordable Care Act too risky and unprofitable because of sicker-than-expected pools of patients, causing them to walk away.
The state did not say which carriers submitted plans, which include 306 policies for individuals and 198 for small groups.
“The significant increase in the number of carriers and the number of plans they are offering represents good news for Illinois health care consumers,” said Jennifer Koehler, executive director of Get Covered Illinois, the state’s health care expansion enrollment arm. “It means consumers will have even more good options to choose from next year.”