Sole Marketplace Insurer In One-Fifth Of Mo.’s Counties Latest To Withdraw From ACA Exchanges
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City announced it has lost $100 million through 2016 selling plans under the Affordable Care Act, calling the losses "unsustainable." Meanwhile, Anthem is saying it is still up in the air whether it will continue to participate in the individual marketplace next year.
The Wall Street Journal:
Another Insurer To Leave Missouri’s ACA Marketplace
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City plans to pull out of the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges next year, a move that leaves a region in northwestern Missouri at risk of having no available marketplace plans. The nonprofit said that after losing more than $100 million on ACA plans through 2016, it will stop offering exchange plans in 30 counties in northwestern Missouri and two counties in Kansas. (Wilde Mathews, 5/24)
The Hill:
Only ObamaCare Insurer In Parts Of Missouri Pulls Out Of Exchanges
About 25 counties in Missouri might have no insurers on the ObamaCare exchanges next year after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) announced Wednesday it won’t participate. Blue KC cited losses and uncertainty as a reason it decided to exit the individual markets both on and off the exchanges. The move comes as insurers are deciding whether to offer plans in the ObamaCare marketplaces next year and are asking Congress and the administration for certainty that they’ll continue to get crucial payments from the federal government. (Roubein, 5/24)
Kansas City Star:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Kansas City Out Of Obamacare
Danette Wilson, Blue KC’s president and CEO, said the company has lost more than $100 million total on its exchange plans since the Affordable Care Act rolled out in 2014. “This is unsustainable for our company,” Wilson said. “We have a responsibility to our (customers) and the greater community to remain stable and secure, and the uncertain direction of this market is a barrier to our continued participation.” (Marso and Lowry, 5/24)
KCUR:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Pulls Out Of The ACA Insurance Market In 32 Missouri And Kansas Counties
The company was the lone insurer offering ACA plans in 25 western Missouri counties, which means when residents there look on HealthCare.gov for insurance plans for 2018, they might not find any. (Savle-Smith, 5/25)
Reuters:
Anthem Still Weighing 2018 Obamacare Individual Participation
Anthem Inc on Wednesday said its plans for selling 2018 Obamacare individual plans are still up in the air because of political and regulatory uncertainty, making it the latest health insurer to say questions about continued funding of government subsidies will affect consumers next year. Anthem, the biggest provider of individual health plans, is looking at all 14 states where it sells Obamacare coverage to determine to what extent it will participate next year, given the continued uncertainty around subsidies and regulations, its chief executive said on Wednesday. (Humer, 5/24)
In other news about the Affordable Care Act —
The Hill:
House Dems Demand Trump Make ObamaCare Insurance Payments
Nearly 200 House Democrats are demanding President Trump fund ObamaCare's Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments to insurers. "The law requires, and it is your obligation under the law" to make the payments "and to stop other acts of sabotage that undermine Americans' access to affordable, quality health insurance," the House Democrats wrote in a letter to Trump. (Weixel, 5/24)
Modern Healthcare:
Insurance Premiums Have Doubled Since 2013, But Policies Are More Generous
An HHS report released late Tuesday paints a grim picture of the rising health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. But health policy experts explained that while premiums may have gone up since the ACA was implemented, consumers are also getting more bang for their buck. The report, which is the first ACA report out of HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation published under the direction of the Trump administration, concluded that individual health insurance premiums grew 105% on average between 2013—before the ACA exchange went into effect—and 2017. (Livingston, 5/24)
Politico Pro:
House Ways And Means Advances Three Obamacare Repeal Bills
The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday evening advanced three health care bills that make up a small part of the Republicans' larger Obamacare replacement strategy. The bills, all approved largely on party lines, are part of the GOP's "third bucket" of its health reform plan, which is expected to include other measures. They were written to work in conjunction with the GOP's repeal bill, which is being fast-tracked through the budget reconciliation process. (Ehley, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Tech Startups Pivot As Obamacare Uncertainty Mounts
As Congress grapples with possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, political uncertainty is prompting some health-technology startups to revamp their sales pitches or products, while others are finding it tougher to attract fresh capital. The challenges are likely to be greatest for very young firms with limited resources, companies tied directly to the insurance market or that sell to hospitals facing potential cuts in Medicaid, say some investors and others that work with startups. (Simon, 5/24)