HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Insurance startup Oscar Insurance Corp. said it plans to expand its offerings in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, as insurers face a federal deadline Wednesday [6-21-17] for initial filings to participate in the health law’s exchanges next year.
Oscar, which has been under a spotlight partly because of its tie to the Trump administration, said it aims to begin selling ACA plans in Tennessee for the first time in 2018, and re-enter the exchange in New Jersey, where it sat out this year. The insurer also will expand the regions where it sells ACA plans in California and Texas, and will continue selling plans in its home market of New York. Last week, Oscar announced that it will begin selling marketplace plans in Ohio next year, working with the Cleveland Clinic.
Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, is a co-founder of Oscar. According to his financial-disclosure forms, Jared Kushner has divested his interest in Thrive Capital, his brother’s investment firm, which is a major Oscar shareholder.
Oscar is betting on the marketplaces at a time when their future is uncertain, as Senate Republicans aim to vote soon on a health overhaul bill. Other insurers now making exchange-plan filings for next year say they may still change their minds about participating in coming months.”
-Anna Wilde Mathews, “Insurance Startup Oscar Raises Its Bet on Affordable Care Act,” The Wall Street Journal online, June 21, 2017 06:00am