Washington State: WA Health Benefit Exchange statement on new CMS marketplace rule

via the Washington Health Benefit Exchange:

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Ingrid Ulrey, CEO of Washington Health Benefit Exchange, the state-based marketplace for Affordable Care Act plans, released a statement today following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announcement of the 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Final Rule.  

“Together, this major new regulatory action, plus imminent Congressional action on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, plus the potential expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the end of this year is a perfect storm for nearly 300,000 Washingtonians who rely on our marketplace to purchase private health insurance.” 

“The combined impact will be sharp premium increases and new administrative hurdles that will make it harder for them to get and stay covered. Depending on outcomes, up to one-half of our customers could lose eligibility or choose to drop their coverage because it becomes too expensive. Our largest customer segments are rural Washingtonians, those who work for small businesses or who are self-employed and older adults who rely on our plans until they become eligible for Medicare.”  

“The new CMS rule, which will go into effect in 60 days, will shorten open enrollment for plan year 2027 and require additional and unnecessary administrative burdens and change who is eligible for federal tax credits right away. While administration officials claim this is necessary to prevent unauthorized enrollments, we know that in Washington, robust safeguards and verification systems are already in place. The only clear outcome of this rule will be to prevent authorized enrollments in private health insurance plans that nearly 300,000 Washingtonians rely on.” 

“Washington Health Benefit Exchange and numerous other stakeholders submitted comments and expressed concern about many aspects of the proposed regulation. However, our input was not reflected in in any substantive way in the final rule. While this is deeply disappointing, we will continue to work closely with CMS and hope that they will be flexible as we struggle to implement this and additional directives on the horizon in a professional and timely manner.” 

“Despite this rule, Washington Health Benefit Exchange stands firm in our commitment to our mission to radically improve the way Washingtonians secure health insurance.”