Humana: Yet Another Player Pulling Out of Obamacare

After pulling out of a merger deal with Aetna, major insurance company Humana announced that it will drop out of the Affordable Care Act exchange in 2018. The company had already been scaling back its plans available on the exchange. For 2017, it was only selling policies in 11 states.

Although Humana has been a relatively small provider in the Obamacare healthcare marketplace, its pulling out of Obamacare may signal more changes to come. Humana cited an “unbalanced risk pool” as its reason for pulling out of the marketplace. But Humana, like many insurance companies, is likely anxious about the future of the entire Affordable Care Act.

Related: Insurance Giant Aetna Pulls Out of Obamacare

Congress and President Trump have promised to “repeal and replace” the ACA, but haven’t given many details about their plans. Because of this, many insurance companies have already pulled out of the healthcare marketplace.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 18 states have only one or two insurers in their marketplaces in 2017. In general, insurer participation increased between 2014 and 2015, but dropped significantly between 2016 and 2017. Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming each have only one insurance company operating in their exchanges. Many states maintain diverse exchange offerings, but participating insurers are still on the decline.

So what does it mean for you?

As noted above, Humana was only offering health insurance plans in 11 states for 2017. If you’re one of the consumers currently covered by a Humana plan through the individual marketplace, you’ll have to find an alternative plan next year. You can, however, keep your current plan through the end of the year.

On a grand scale, Humana’s change of heart won’t directly affect many consumers. With that said, Humana’s exit puts even more pressure on the Republican Congress and White House administration to make some serious changes to the healthcare law.

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With more insurers leaving the marketplace, those that remain are likely to increase their 2018 rates in an attempt to ward off further financial losses. Those costs will fall to the consumers if the law isn’t altered or replace quickly and efficiently.

It remains to be seen what sorts of changes the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress have for the Affordable Care Act. But with major players like Humana pulling out, the pressure is on to come up with a solution–one the insurance companies can live with–sooner rather than later.