Affordable Care Act


2019 Individual & Small Group Health Plans

Individual Market Open Enrollment for 2019 Plans: November 1 - December 15, 2018
**Plans Sold During Open Enrollment Start January 1, 2019**

**BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is writing in all 46 counties.  Absolute Total Care (a new entry) is writing only in Charleston County.

Sample Rate Scenarios for Individual Market Coverage Available in the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace
Premium comparisons are provided for self-only coverage purchased in Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland, or York County meeting the following criteria:
2019 Maximum, Minimum, and Overall Average Rate Changes: 
 Consumer Justification Narratives for Rate Increases
South Carolina requires all health insurance issuers offering ACA plans in the individual or small group markets to submit a simple and brief narrative describing the reasons for a rate increase.  Copies of those narratives are available in the publicly available rate filings (see instructions on how to access them here) but are also provided below for public review.

Individual Market:
Small Group Market: (all plans are sold strictly through the private market)
Companies No Longer Offering Current Coverage for Individuals and Families in South Carolina:
  • Aetna Health Inc.
  • Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company
  • Freedom Life Insurance
  • National Foundation Life Insurance
 Companies No Longer Offering Current Coverage for Small Businesses in South Carolina:
  • BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (no longer offering plans on the SHOP Marketplace, but will continue to offer coverage in the private small group health insurance market)
  • Federated Mutual Insurance Company
Contact Information for the Federally-facilitated Marketplace and Local Assistance 

Other Useful Resources

 HealthCare.gov
Website: healthcare.gov
Call Center: 1 (800) 318-2596
The is the official federal website for the federally-facilitated exchanges, managed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Public Information on Rate Reviews
Website: ratereview.healthcare.gov
Under the ACA, every premium rate increase of 10% or more for non-grandfathered coverage in the individual and small group markets must be reviewed and made publicly available.  This federal website allows consumers to search for rate requests that meet or exceed the 10% threshold by state.

Kaiser Family Foundation
Website: kff.org/aca
This website includes helpful information for consumers and employers regarding the Affordable Care Act.  One example is a flowchart to help consumers understand the individual mandate (available online by clicking here).

Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO)
Website: cms.gov/cciio
CCIIO is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and oversees the implementation of the ACA's provisions relating to private health insurance.

NAIC Special Section: PPACA and State Insurance Regulation
Website: naic.org
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is an organization of the chief insurance regulators from across the U.S. This website includes useful information for consumers, industry, and state insurance regulators.