As a Vice President of Commercial Lines at WPS, Scott has a front-row seat for all the changes in healthcare. WPS is a not-for-profit regional player in the marketplace, dealing with Medicare supplemental coverage and small groups. The company also handles provides insurance products for the Department of Defense and manages Medicare and Medicaid for seniors in multiple states. The Affordable Care Act didn’t have any impact on the affordability of care; it focused on the delivery of care. The ACA dissolved Wisconsin’s High-Risk insurance pool. 90% of the people in the ACA exchanges received some sort of subsidy. WPS left the ACA Exchange two years ago – the costs were unsustainable. As insurance premiums continue to rise, we can expect to see more and more insurance decisions move to the states under the new administration. The next five years will see major consolidation in the healthcare marketplace. It will become increasingly difficult for standalone players to survive. We’re seeing non-traditional companies entering healthcare, like CVS’s recent purchase of Aetna, and with Walmart and Amazon eying the prescription market. Things aren’t going to settle down anytime soon. |  |
