1.4M to lose health coverage as payers flee exchanges

A significant number of Americans who purchased coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchanges last year have learned their policy will cease to exist in 2017, forcing them to find new coverage as options dwindle.

At least 1.4 million people across 32 states will lose their current ACA plans in 2017, according to Bloomberg.

The departure of major health plans from the exchanges — such as Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana — could negatively impact the total number of Americans who purchase plans through the ACA for 2017. As of March 31, about 11.1 million were insured under the ACA. S&P Global Ratings predicted enrollment in 2017 could decline up to 8 percent or increase up to 4 percent, according an Oct. 13 report.

Bloomberg contacted state insurance regulators in all 50 states and Washington D.C. to determine how many individuals would lose coverage next year. Regulators from Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Missouri could not provide an estimate. Three states could not provide sufficient data and eleven states, plus Washington D.C., said they were not affected.

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