U.S. President Donald Trump says Obamacare, the health-insurance system created by his Democratic predecessor, is collapsing and needs to be replaced. Democrats say Trump is sabotaging Obamacare by scaring insurers away. As proof, both sides point to double-digit premium increases and the departure of a string of national insurers from the individual-policy market under Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Climbing prices and narrowing choices. On June 6, Anthem Inc. announced its decision to quit Ohio’s ACA market, a step that may leave 13,000 people without any coverage option under the program next year. Anthem offers ACA plans in 13 other states, where its continued participation largely remains a question mark. Meanwhile, other national carriers including Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. have quit the ACA, reducing choice for consumers in many states. Regional players like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City have announced exits as well. Other states, including Maryland and New York, have seen big rate increases. Iowa is asking the federal government for help creating a stopgap program to prevent what it called the “collapse” of its Obamacare market.
