Harvard Pilgrim Health Care — the Massachusetts-based health insurer that entered the Connecticut market about a decade ago, hoping to win market share by touting its not-for-profit model — is exiting the state’s commercial insurance market, the Hartford Business Journal has confirmed.
In a Tuesday email sent to insurance brokers and other stakeholders, Harvard Pilgrim said its parent company, Point32Health “has made the difficult decision to withdraw” the company’s fully insured commercial products, including small group plans, from Connecticut as of Jan. 1, 2023.
Approximately 12,000 members will be affected by the move, the company said.
“This decision was not taken lightly and comes after a detailed, multi-year analysis of the employer-based commercial market in Connecticut,” the company said in an emailed statement to HBJ Tuesday evening.
Harvard Pilgrim last year completed its merger with another Massachusetts-based not-for-profit health insurer, Tufts Health Plan. The combined organization is known as Point32Health.
Point32Health said it will shift its Connecticut focus to its Medicare Advantage business through its existing partnership with CarePartners of Connecticut, a not-for-profit company.
CarePartners is a joint venture between Tufts Health Plan and Hartford HealthCare and offers Medicare Advantage plans to older adults in Connecticut.
Point32Health said current Harvard Pilgrim commercial customers will continue to have coverage until their contracts end.
However, effective immediately, Harvard Pilgrim will no longer quote and sell commercial products for new business.
Last year Harvard Pilgrim relocated its Hartford headquarters to Rocky Hill.
