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Threat of Trump/Ryan Repeal will Kill the Affordable Care Act's Market Places!!! It's that easy.
Aetna said Thursday that it will stop selling individual policies both on and off the state's Affordable Care Act exchange next year. The decision follows on the heels of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield's announcement that it will exit Iowa's individual market in 2018. Now thousands of Iowans will be forced to switch health insurers—if they can find one.
But because both Aetna and Wellmark are pulling the plug on both on- and off-exchange individual plans, the consequences extend beyond dwindling choice on the ACA federal marketplace. “It's not clear how many options people may have even if they are able to pay full price and buy off exchange,” Cox said.
1. An Aetna spokesman said the decision is a result of “financial risk and an uncertain outlook for the marketplace.”
2. With a number of regulatory unknowns and no clear sign that the federal government will continue to support the individual marketplace, experts say other states could soon see an insurer exodus as well … health insurers have threatened to quit offering policies on the ACA's marketplace if they don't get the regulatory details they need to design and price their insurance plans.
3. Insurers have warned Congressional leaders that they need to see signs that the Trump administration will work to stabilize the individual market if they are to commit to selling plans in 2018. Iowa's situation is an example of what may happen across the nation if insurers don't get answers soon.
Wellmark said it lost about $90 million from ACA-compliant health plans sold in Iowa over the past three years. But it is a drop in a bucket relative to the $2.7 billion in revenue Wellmark recorded in 2016 alone, financial documents show.
Given the minor loss, it is likely that Wellmark's exit has more to do with the uncertainty surrounding the future of the health insurance landscape and the prospect of further financial losses if the Trump administration fails to shore up the marketplaces, experts said.
Trump and Ryan inaction will Kill the ACA:
It is unclear if insurers will get the details they need to commit to the exchanges for 2018. In most states, they have until June 21 to decide whether to participate. But the Trump administration has yet to address insurers' most pressing concerns about availability of cost-sharing reductions and the enforcement of the mandate that consumers purchase coverage. Those two policies are essential to ensure the individual market stays afloat and affordable during the transition period to an ACA replacement plan.
“We're deeply troubled by the angst and concern the Affordable Care Act is causing in Iowa,” Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said in a statement. “This is a problem created by the Affordable Care Act and needs to be fixed by Congress.”
A former liberal radio talk host who likes to ask the “follow-up question” at Democurmudgeon.blogspot.com
Source: http://democurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2017/04/threat-of-trumpryan-repeal-will-kill.html
sooo tired of the PARTY LINE BS! There is nothing that the government can’t screw up on in epic proportions! That war on poverty, war on drugs, etc etc etc..
This unconstitutional takeover is another debacle! OVER A BILLION DOLLARS FOR A FRICKING WEBSITE THAT A 12 YEAR OLD COULD MOCK UP IN AN AFTERNOON FOR FREE AND NOT ONE SINGLE LEFTIST PIECE OF CRAP HAD ONE WORD TO SAY ABOUT THAT FRAUD!