Insurer uncertain about selling health coverage

ConnectiCare has not committed to sell on the Obamacare exchange next year.

The company, which covers about 47,600 people through individual and family plans sold on the Obamacare exchange, got the rate it asked for on Aug. 1 — an increase of 17.4 percent. But three weeks later, company officials said that request had been too low, and it said it needed an average 27.1 percent increase to cover the claims and make a profit on the plans.

ConnectiCare had hoped to force the Insurance Department to re-open its rate request before having to decide on whether to or not to sell individual plans with Obamacare subsidies next year. But a Superior Court Judge declined to intervene and suspend Access Health CT's deadline, which was 5 p.m. Monday.

ConnectiCare asked Access Health CT for more time to decide on whether it will sell Obamacare policies next year. Access Health CT has not returned repeated calls Monday from the Courant.

After it failed to get a temporary injunction in court, the company asked the Insurance Department to consider an expedited appeal of its decision. The Insurance Department had said that Aug. 23 was just too late to change a rate request again. Letters must go out in about three weeks to customers about what plans will charge in 2017.

The Insurance Department put out a statement Monday afternoon that said: “The Department does recognize the need for an expedited action, however there are questions over complexities that still may exist with litigation the carrier filed last week. While the judge dismissed the carrier's request for a temporary injunction she did not dismiss the underlying case.

“Therefore the Department is in consultation with the Attorney General's office to determine the interrelationship between this new administrative appeal and the Superior Court litigation before moving forward.”