UnitedHealthcare leaving Iowa online marketplace
April 26th, 2016 by Ric Hanson
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The nation’s largest health insurance carrier says it will leave the Iowa marketplace for subsidized insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Iowa regulator said Monday that UnitedHealthcare‘s decision will affect about 9,000 consumers. The company says it’s lost millions of dollars by selling on the marketplaces.
The Des Moines Register reports that people who bought UnitedHealthcare policies on the Iowa exchange will be covered through 2016. And they will have a new option for 2017: Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Wellmark is the state’s dominant insurance carrier but had previously opted not to become part of the Care Act exchange for Iowa. It announced in October that it would be joining the exchange for the 2017 calendar year, however.