Health Net Plans Cut Assisted Living Coverage

Employers and policymakers are weighing different responses to rising health coverage costs, from CHOICE Arrangements that let workers use employer-funded allowances to buy individual plans to policy options aimed at easing the burden of employer-sponsored insurance. The shift to individual coverage can give workers more choice but also puts responsibility on them to compare plans and ensure their doctors, medications and household needs are covered. Meanwhile, Health Net plans to end an assisted-living benefit for about 3,500 Medi-Cal members in California, putting some residents—many elderly or living with cognitive conditions—at risk of losing care they cannot afford on their own. In Wyoming, a state task force is considering models to reduce insurance costs, reflecting broader efforts to address affordability and access.