A New Wave of ObamaCare Insurer Failures

A new wave of failures among ObamaCare's nonprofit health insurers is disrupting coverage for thousands of enrollees, reports The Hill.

 Co-ops were set up under ObamaCare to increase competition with established insurers, but just seven of the original 23 co-ops now remain.

The Hill details:

The latest round of failures poses an even thornier problem than earlier cases because enrollees’ coverage is now being disrupted in the middle of the year. That can increase patients’ out of pocket costs and make it harder to keep the same doctors.

In Illinois, Oregon, and Ohio, a combined total of about 92,000 people are being forced to find a new plan. A co-op in a fourth state, Connecticut, will last until the end of the year.

 Having to switch plans in the middle of the year is a problem because it often means that enrollees need to start over on paying their deductibles, in effect increasing the amount they pay out of pocket for care.

Another issue is that people can lose access to doctors if their new plan has a different network, a problem.

  -RW