2022 Individual Plans

We have all the latest info on rates and county coverage for individual plans in Washington State in 2022.

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of The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) released approved 2022 rates for all 15 of the individual carriers currently offering options in the state. This is one of the least volatile years in terms of carriers offering benefits, and in which counties they have elected to provide their plans. While requested increases ranged from -5.8% to 29.0%, the final approvals are between -8.3% to 17.9%.
 
Carriers Approved
Of the 15 individual carriers, most finalized their plans at or below their requested rate adjustment. Of note are a few carriers whose final rates were actually higher than first proposed. This includes Coordinated Care (1.9% uptick), Molina (1.1%), and PacificSource (0.5%).

The highest overall increases are being imposed by Premera Blue Cross (17.9% overall increase) and Molina (8.3% overall increase). 

See our 2022 Individual Rate Tracking spreadsheet for more in depth information about each carriers’ requested increase and final approvals.
 
Changes to County Coverage
A long list of carriers will be offering their coverage to more counties this coming year. 

• Community Health Plan – adding Benton, Franklin, Jefferson, King, Lewis, Mason, Snohomish, Thurston, and Walla Walla
• Coordinated Care – adding Klickitat and Pacific
• Health Alliance NW – adding Okanogan
• Lifewise of WA – adding Skamania and Wahkiakum
• Molina – adding Benton, Cowlitz, and Franklin

Premera Blue Cross is the only carrier that requested to discontinue offering plans in certain service areas, which will affect Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.
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All counties will have at least 2 carrier options as we head into 2022. Spokane and Pierce counties continue to have the most carriers available (9), and this coming year King and Thurston join them. A full summary of carrier offerings by carrier and county can be found here.
 
Comparing 2022 to Past Years
2022 individual renewal increases range from an 8.3% decrease to a 17.9% increase. With the exception of Premera’s increase, the rest of the carriers are in line with the range of rate changes over the past few years.

Of note in the filings are the annual cumulative carrier gains/losses in the individual market overall. The carriers evaluate the prior calendar year’s data when setting their rates. For example, the 2022 rate filings were based on the 2020 calendar year. 

• Cumulative Gain/Loss in 2020     $102,348,384 GAIN
• Cumulative Gain/Loss in 2019     $207,487,632 GAIN
• Cumulative Gain/Loss in 2018     $131,815,624 GAIN
• Cumulative Gain/Loss in 2017     $  74,370,641 LOSS
• Cumulative Gain/Loss in 2016     $150,053,341 LOSS​

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The Bottom Line
For the third year in a row, we are able to enter the new year with a stable individual medical market, with each county having 2 to 9 carriers to choose from. This is a far cry from where we were in 2017 and 2018.

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