Obamacare Continues To Fall Apart

OBAMACARE: ‘Ominous Signs For Health Care Customers In States Across The County’ As ‘Choices Could Go From One To Zero’

“Parts of the country are in jeopardy of not having an insurer offering Obamacare plans next year. Many counties already have just one insurer offering health plans in the Obamacare marketplaces, and some of those solo insurers are showing signs that they are eyeing the exits.” (“Obamacare Choices Could Go From One to Zero in Some Areas,” The New York Times, 3/31/2017)

• “This is a concern for many areas of the country. [Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance Julie] McPeak also currently serves as the president-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and they are keeping an eye on a number of communities. ‘Currently we have five states [Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, Wyoming and Oklahoma] that have only one insurer statewide on the exchange market,’ she told Fox. ‘Another nine states, including Tennessee, have a majority of their counties that have only one insurer that is writing on the exchange market.’” (“ObamaCare Insurance: Fear Of Failure In Tennessee,” Fox News, 4/13/2017)

“First, Humana pulled out of Obamacare for 2018. Then, Wellmark announced it was leaving. Which health insurer could be next? … All eyes are on Anthem, which has said it's reviewing its participation next year. If it pulls out, more than 256,000 residents in Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia would be left with no options...” (“More Insurers Abandon Obamacare. Who Might Be Next?,” CNN Money, 4/5/2017)

• “A new analyst report says there is reason to believe that major Obamacare insurer Anthem ‘is leaning toward exiting a high percentage’ of the insurance regions where it currently sells individual health plans. If that happens, millions of Obamacare customers and potential customers would be left in 2018 with even fewer choices of insurers than they have now.” (“Big Obamacare Insurer Anthem Seen 'Leaning Toward Exiting' Many Areas Where It Now Sells Plans,” CNBC, 3/30/2017)

IOWA: ‘Iowa Could Be The First State To Lack Any Insurers On Its Exchanges In All But A Handful Of Counties,’ ‘The Situation In Iowa Is Mirrored In A Number Of Other States’

“Tens of thousands of Iowans could be left with no health insurance options next year, after the last carrier for most of the state announced Wednesday that it likely would stop selling individual health policies here. Medica, a Minnesota-based health insurer, released a statement suggesting it was close to following two larger carriers in deciding not to sell such policies in Iowa for 2018, due to instability in the market.” (“Medica, The Last Insurer Selling Individual Health Policies In Most Of Iowa, Likely To Exit,” The Des Moines Register, 5/03/2017)

• “Medica’s announcement comes on the heels of word last month that Aetna and Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield would pull out of Iowa’s individual health insurance market for 2018. Those are the only three choices for individual health insurance in most areas of the state this year.” (“Medica, The Last Insurer Selling Individual Health Policies In Most Of Iowa, Likely To Exit,” The Des Moines Register, 5/03/2017)

“Iowa’s last major Affordable Care Act insurer threatened on Wednesday to pull out from the state’s marketplace next year, the latest step in a sudden collapse of the state’s insurance marketplace that holds ominous signs for health care customers in states across the county. If Minnesota-based Medica follows through on its threat not to sell plans in 2018, Iowa could be the first state to lack any insurers on its exchanges in all but a handful of counties.” (“Iowa Obamacare Program On Verge Of Collapse As Congressional Uncertainty Takes Its Toll,” The Washington Post, 5/03/2017)

LAST MONTH: “Two insurers announced this week that they would pull out of Iowa's Affordable Care Act exchanges next year, raising worries that the decisions could be the leading edge of a trend. … Wellmark had been slow to enter the exchanges. Aetna pulled out of most of the markets where it sold exchange plans last year, and its chief executive has described the marketplace as in a ‘death spiral.’” (“Another State Is At Risk Of Having Only One Obamacare Health Insurer,” The Washington Post, 4/6/2017)

“In the latest move by insurers worried about the viability of the markets created under the federal health care law, Iowa’s major carrier said Monday that it would stop selling individual policies in the state next year. In a statement, the insurer, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which is based in Des Moines, blamed its decision to withdraw in 2018 on what it said was the high cost of covering people under the Affordable Care Act.” (“Iowa’s Largest Insurer Says It Will Withdraw From Obamacare Exchanges,” The New York Times, 4/3/2017)

• “Wellmark's decision to stop selling individual policies in Iowa comes after consumers here already lost two other choices for such plans. UnitedHealthcare announced in 2016 that it would stop selling individual policies in the state. CoOportunity Health, a health-insurance co-op set up under the Affordable Care Act, collapsed in 2015.” (“Wellmark To Halt Sales Of Individual Health Insurance Policies,” The Des Moines Register, 4/3/2017)

“Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford said that the company had informed federal and state regulators that it would not offer plans in Iowa's exchange because of ‘financial risk and an uncertain outlook for the marketplace’ on Thursday.” (“Another State Is At Risk Of Having Only One Obamacare Health Insurer,” The Washington Post, 4/6/2017)

“The Wellmark departure will force 21,400 Iowans to search for a new plan. Aetna did not disclose its state-specific exchange membership, but currently insures roughly 240,000 people on the exchanges in four states.” (“Another State Is At Risk Of Having Only One Obamacare Health Insurer,” The Washington Post, 4/6/2017)

“The situation in Iowa is mirrored in a number of other states where insurers are seriously considering whether to exit Obamacare marketplaces.” (“Iowa Obamacare Market Gets Second Big Hit As Insurer Aetna Says It Will Drop Out In 2018,” CNBC, 4/6/2017)

VIRGINIA: ‘27 [Of Virginia's 95] Counties Could Have Only One Choice For 2018’

“Aetna is throwing in the towel in Virginia after suffering big losses in its Obamacare business. The company said Wednesday that it won't participate in the state's individual market -- either on the Obamacare exchange or outside of it -- in 2018.” (“Aetna Pulls Out Of Virginia's Individual Market, Citing Big Obamacare Losses,” CNN Money, 5/03/2017)

• “UnitedHealth Group Inc., which has largely stopped selling ACA health plans, said last month it was pulling out of Virginia.” (“Aetna to Quit Virginia's Obamacare Market,” Bloomberg News, 5/03/2017)

• “The companies’ exit … mean[s] that 27 [Virginia] counties could have only one choice for 2018, said Katherine Hempstead, a senior adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funds health care research and grants.” (“Aetna Pulls Out Of Virginia's Individual Market, Citing Big Obamacare Losses,” CNN Money, 5/03/2017)

• “Aetna sells health plans in 50 of Virginia's 95 counties, according to data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 24 counties where it operates, there is just one other insurer selling Obamacare plans: Anthem, under the brand name HealthKeepers.” (“Aetna Will Exit Obamacare Markets In Virginia In 2018, Citing Expected Losses On Individual Plans This Year,” CNBC, 5/03/2017)

“Aetna's withdrawal is the latest in a steady drumbeat of insurers leaving Obamacare. The exodus began last year, when several carriers announced they were exiting or downsizing in 2017 after suffering large losses. Aetna pulled out of 11 of its 15 markets for 2017. It is expected to announce whether it will remain in Delaware and Nebraska in coming months. The defections are continuing … Humana has already announced it is completely exiting the individual market in 2018. Last month, Aetna and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield said they would stop selling individual policies in Iowa in 2018.” (“Aetna Pulls Out Of Virginia's Individual Market, Citing Big Obamacare Losses,” CNN Money, 5/03/2017)

TENNESSEE: ‘Knoxville, Tennessee May Be The First U.S. City Where Obamacare Fails’

“Tennessee is the first state in which some areas will have no insurers in 2018.” (“Thousands Of Obamacare Customers Left Without Options As Insurers Bolt,” Bloomberg, 4/27/2017)

“Knoxville, Tennessee may be the first U.S. city where ObamaCare fails. As it stands, some 40,000 people in the area will be left with no option to buy a subsidized insurance policy. Currently, Humana is the only insurer available there on the exchange. They have already provided notice that they are not interested in participating in 2018. That would mean no insurers available on the exchange in the Knoxville rating area.” (“ObamaCare Insurance: Fear Of Failure In Tennessee,” Fox News, 4/13/2017)

• “‘Right now, there are not going to be any options for you to buy any policies on the exchange and therefore there won’t be any policies using tax credits or premium subsidies,’ Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance Julie McPeak told Fox News…. McPeak says insurers are steering clear due to lack of regulatory certainty and a disinterest in taking on more financial risks that result from the current ObamaCare bill.” (“ObamaCare Insurance: Fear Of Failure In Tennessee,” Fox News, 4/13/2017)

• “The fear is it could get worse for Tennessee. There are currently two insurers on the exchange in other areas of the Volunteer State: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna. Commissioner McPeak worries that they might pull coverage from all areas.” (“ObamaCare Insurance: Fear Of Failure In Tennessee,” Fox News, 4/13/2017)