Meritus Shut Down By Insurance Commissioner

<<< SEE UPDATES AT BOTTOM OF POST >>>

We have heard from a reliable source that the Arizona State Insurance Commissioner has declared health insurance company Meritus AZ insolvent and may be shutting them down effective immediately.

We have also discovered that the US government’s health insurance web site at healthcare.gov no longer offers the rates or policy plan information for Meritus – the Meritus health insurance offerings for Arizona residents have been entirely removed.

We have not been able to confirm the Meritus shut-down — we have tried repeatedly to call Meritus, but we only get recordings telling us to leave a message. Lehrman Group will post additional information regarding Meritus as the facts and details are made public.

If you currently have your health insurance policy from Meritus, you may be uninsured right now and not know it. If this is the case, you have what the government calls a Life Event. You don’t have to wait for Open Enrollment to get on another plan. You can purchase, right now, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona plan, a United HealthCare plan, or a plan from any other health insurance company that markets plans in Arizona.

If you have a Meritus health insurance policy and live in Arizona, call us for more information and to see what your options are for the rest of 2015 and for all of 2016. We can be reached at (800) 600-9663.

<<< FIRST UPDATE >>>

We just spoke with Meritus media contact Gabriel Rushing. He told us that current Meritus policyholders will be able to keep their policies through the end of 2015 and that Meritus will continue to pay the medical bills for their policy holders. He stated that Meritus is in “talks” with the Arizona Insurance Department regarding Meritus operations for 2016. Rushing confirmed that the Meritus rates and policy descriptions have been removed are no longer available from healthcare.gov.

We will post more updates as they become available…

<<< SECOND UPDATE >>>

This is in the October 31, 2015 Arizona Republic online edition: “The Arizona Department of Insurance said Friday afternoon that Meritus Health Partners/Meritus Mutual Health Partners has been placed into “supervision” and only can continue to serve existing clients until the end of the year. The federal government also suspended Meritus from the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplace, which means the company won’t be able to sell health plans via healthcare.gov when the health-care law’s three-month enrollment period begins Sunday.” See:http://bit.ly/1P2ExC2

<<< THIRD UPDATE >>>

Today is November 6, 2015. Meritus is fighting to stay alive in Arizona. They are trying to get the Arizona Department of Insurance Director to allow them to stay in business. See http://bit.ly/1XUq0tM.

<<< FINAL UPDATE >>>

Today is November 26, 2015. Meritus will shut down on December 31, 2016. See http://bit.ly/1Id6qoP.