Aug. 13, 2013 -- Wisconsin has approved 13 insurance companies to sell individual plans in the new health insurance Marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, which completed the initial review, did not release any details about plans or costs. The plans now face federal review before they become available for open enrollment starting Oct. 1.
The 13 companies are:
- Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative
- Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation
- Dean Health Plan Inc.
- Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
- Gundersen Health Plan Inc.
- Health Tradition Health Plan
- Medica Health Plans of Wisconsin
- MercyCare HMO Inc.
- Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc.
- Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation
- Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc.
- Unity Health Plans Insurance Corp.
- Arise (WPS Health Plan Inc.)
Nine companies also won initial approval to sell insurance plans in the small business Marketplace. They are:
- Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative
- Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
- Gundersen Health Plan Inc.
- Health Tradition Health Plan
- Medica Insurance Company
- MercyCare HMO
- MercyCare Insurance Company
- Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc.
- Arise (WPS Health Plan Inc.)
Under the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, each state must have a health insurance Marketplace set up by Oct. 1 for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2014. Most Americans will be required to have health insurance starting Jan. 1. Wisconsin is one of 27 states where the federal government will run the Marketplace.