In a recent article, The Washington Post editorial board weighed in on what the future holds for the ACA exchanges.
According to the editorial board, UnitedHealth’s departure reflects two aspects of the ACA: the increase in competition — and therefore premium prices — amongst insurers and the reduction of the ways insurers can rein in costs. These trends are likely going to continue.
That being said, there is still hope for the ACA exchanges. The major issue at hand “may be that ACA marketplaces have simply taken longer than expected to develop,” according to the article. National enrollment isn’t as high as initially predicted, and it may increase after time.
Thus, the editorial board suggests “keeping [the stabilization mechanisms written by the ACA’s authors] around a little longer,” according to the article.
More articles on payer issues:
Humana to exit ACA exchanges in 2 states
How Aetna, Cigna, Anthem, Humana and UnitedHealth fared in Q1
96% of patients don’t understand their emergency insurance coverage: 6 findings from the ACEP
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