HOUSE RESOLUTION 20

(By Delegates Williams, Angelucci, Barrett, Bates, Boggs, S. brown, Caputo, Diserio, Doyle, Fleischauer, Fluharty, Hansen, Hartman, Hornbuckle, Lavender-Bowe, Miley, Pethtel, Pushkin, Pyles, Skaff, Sponaugle, Staggers, C. Thompson, Walker, Zukoff)

[Introduced March 7, 2020]

Requesting that the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner allow or instruct insurers on the

state’s individual Marketplace to “silver load.”

Whereas, West Virginia has seen the second-highest decline in individual market insurance plan enrollment in the country, a 34 percent decline from 2017 to 2019; and

Whereas, West Virginia’s subsidy-eligible individual insurance market enrollees have seen the highest increase in net premiums in the country, a 16 percent increase from 2017 to 2019; and

Whereas, Based on 2019 actual plan selections, 6,791 West Virginians would be paying less in monthly premiums had the state adopted silver loading in that year, and if trends we’ve seen in other silver-loading states had occurred where consumers tend to shift toward non-silver plans, more than 9000 consumers would pay less under silver loading; and

Whereas, Silver loading leads to lower net premiums available on the individual marketplace for consumers; and

Whereas, 47 states have adopted silver loading; and

Whereas, This technique has been endorsed by the United States Congress, President Trump, and the United States Department of Justice; therefore be it,

Resolved by the House of Delegates:

That the body requests that the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner implement silver loading for 2021 individual marketplace plan premiums.

            Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Insurance Commissioner and the Governor.