NY Orders Insurer Health Republic: Stop Writing Policies

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published September 25, 2015 at 4:28 PM EDT

New York authorities have ordered insurer Health Republic to stop writing new policies and wind down business after existing policies expire.

The Department of Financial Services says current individual coverage should continue through Dec. 31. Health Republic will keep processing all claims through the end of the year.

DFS and the state Health Department say existing small group plans also remain in effect, and they will evaluate how to proceed with those based on Health Republic's ongoing financial results.

They say medical providers are required by contracts to keep seeing Health Republic's 209,000 insurance customers.

The nonprofit cooperative opened in October 2013.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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