Nebraska – Early Retiree Reinsurance Program
Rising health care costs have made it difficult for employers to provide quality, affordable health insurance for workers and retirees while also remaining competitive in the global marketplace. The percentage of large firms providing workers with retiree health coverage has dropped from 66 percent in 1988 to 29 percent in 2009.1 Health insurance premiums for older Americans are over four times more expensive than they are for young adults,2 and the deductible these enrollees pay is, on average, almost four times that for a typical employer-sponsored insurance plan.3
The Affordable Care Act creates a new program called the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program to help address this challenge that employers and older employees are facing. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare.
Businesses, other employers, and unions that are accepted into the program will receive reimbursement for medical claims for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. Savings can be used to reduce employer health care costs, provide premium relief to workers and families, or both. Applicants who are approved into the program receive reinsurance for the claims of high-cost retirees and their families (80 percent of the costs from $15,000 to $90,000). The program ends on January 1, 2014 when State health insurance Exchanges are up and running.
HHS has approved the following sponsors from Nebraska. More applications are being approved each day.
- Ameritas Holding Company
- Assurity Life Insurance Company
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska*
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
- Central Community College
- Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District
- City of Lincoln
- City of Omaha
- Clark County Firefighters Local 1908 Security Fund
- ConAgra Foods, Inc.
- Connectivity Solutions Manufacturing, Inc.
- Contractors Laborers Teamsters & Engineers Pension Plan*
- County of Sarpy, Nebraska
- Douglas County, Nebraska
- Duncan Aviation, Inc.
- Educators Health Alliance Inc.
- Father Flanagan's Boys'Home
- First National of Nebraska, Inc.
- Great Plains Communications, Inc.
- HDR, Inc.
- IBEW Local Union No. 22/NECA Health & Welfare Fund
- Lancaster County
- Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha
- Millard Public Schools
- Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
- NEBCO, Inc.
- Nebraska Public Power District
- Omaha Construction Industry Health and Welfare Plan
- Omaha Public Power District
- PHYSICIANS MUTUAL
- State of Nebraska
- Steamfitters and Plumbers Local Union No. 464 Welfare Fund
- University of Nebraska Board of Regents
- Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society
*New program participants as of May 24, 2011. List to be updated monthly.
[1] Kaiser / HRET. Employer Health Benefits: 2009 Survey.
[2] Center for Policy and Research. Individual Health Insurance 2009.
[3] Kaiser Family Foundation. 2010. Survey of People Who Purchase Their Own Insurance.