Anthem to reduce Obamacare offerings in Wisconsin, Indiana
(Reuters) - Anthem Inc, which has urged lawmakers to commit to paying government subsidies for the Obamacare individual health insurance system, said on Wednesday it would reduce the number of individual plan offerings in Wisconsin and Indiana next year.
The largest U.S. health insurer, which sells Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states including New York and California, for months has said that uncertainty over the payments used to make insurance more affordable could cause it to exit markets.
The subsidies are available to low-income Americans who buy individual health insurance on the exchanges created under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare.
Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump have promised to repeal and replace the law, but have disagreed over the details, creating uncertainty at a time when insurers must submit plans and premium rates for 2018.
"Planning and pricing for ACA-compliant health plans has become increasingly difficult due to a shrinking and deteriorating individual market, as well as continual changes and uncertainty in federal operations," Anthem spokeswoman Leslie Porras said.
Wednesday's announcement follows a decision by Anthem earlier this month to exit most of the Ohio market in 2018. Other large health insurers have also pulled out for 2018, including Aetna Inc and Humana Inc
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
