What a surprise eh?
Aetna becomes latest big insurer to slash Obamacare coverage
by TOM MURPHY, AP Health Writer
Tuesday, August 16th 2016
Aetna has become the latest health insurer to retreat from the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges by announcing a pullback that will further deplete customer choices in many pockets of the country.
The nation's third largest insurer says it plans to leave nearly 70 percent of the counties in which it currently sells coverage as it trims exchange participation to four states in 2017, down from 15 this year. The insurer's late Monday announcement comes after UnitedHealth and Humana detailed their own exchange pull backs for 2017 and after more than a dozen nonprofit insurance co-ops have shut down in the past couple years.
Dwindling exchange participation from insurers is becoming a concern because competition is supposed to help control insurance price increases, and many carriers have already announced plans to seek price hikes of around 10 percent or more for 2017. Some states like Alaska and Oklahoma will be left with only one participant selling individual coverage in 2017.
Urban markets or places with higher populations should still have plenty of health insurance choices on their exchanges for 2017, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor with the Georgetown Health Policy Institute. But that may not be the case in many rural markets.
They can be less attractive to insurers because there are fewer customers over which an insurer can spread costs, and hospitals and other health care providers can build dominating market positions, making them formidable negotiating foes over rates.
Health insurers have been finalizing their exchange plans over the past several weeks, ahead of the Nov. 1 start of enrollment for 2017 coverage.
Did you know 22 Veterans a day commit suicide???
Your government drugs them up with prescription pill after pill when Cannabis is what helps them.
Government has blood on their hands!
Watch & educate yourself then pass it on.
