The Effects of Rate Regulation on Demand for Supplemental Health Insurance

Pricing regulations in individual health insurance: Evidence from Medigap

I compare two pricing regulations that protect those with health conditions-"community rating," which requires insurers to charge uniform premiums, and "guaranteed renewal," which requires insurers to increase future premiums uniformly. Using individual-level Medigap data from 2006-2010, I compare individuals within 25 miles of borders between 3 community rating and 6 guaranteed renewal states. Relative to guaranteed renewal, community rating (with guaranteed issue) leads to a decrease in Medigap enrollment of 9.70 pp (29.7%), or 26.8-33.7% for low-spending conditions (diabetes, heart disease) and 21.9-29.9% for high-spending conditions (cancer, kidney disease); an increase in annual Medigap premiums of $276 (10.1%); a decrease in the likelihood of an earlier purchase of 7.99 pp (50.3%); and an increase in purchase delay of 1.08 years (17.0%).