DES MOINES — Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield today announced their decision not to sell or renew individual and family Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans in Iowa with a Jan. 1, 2018, effective date.
Over the past three years, Wellmark members with individual health plans in Iowa, governed by the ACA, have endured double-digit premium increases. In addition, Wellmark has lost approximately $90 million in the individual ACA market during the same timeframe.
“Finding solutions to stabilize this market is in the best interest of all Iowans, including providers of health care and insurance carriers,” said Wellmark Chairman and CEO John Forsyth. “No one really benefits from rising costs. While there are many potential solutions, the timing and relative impact of those solutions is currently unclear. This makes it difficult to establish plans for 2018.”
Who this impacts
This affects 21,400 — or 1.3 percent — of Wellmark’s 1.66 million members in Iowa. Members who currently have an individual or family ACA plan will continue to have coverage through Dec. 31, 2017.
Majority of Iowans allegedly not impacted
This change does not affect people who purchased their individual or family health plan pre-ACA (plans purchased prior to Jan. 1, 2014 — otherwise known as grandfathered or grandmothered plans).
This change also does not affect our members with plans through their employer (including small group ACA plans) or those with Medicare supplement plans.
“We look forward to working with state and federal legislators to determine the best path forward to ensure Iowans have access to high-quality health care,” said Forsyth.
28 thoughts on “Big Iowa healthcare insurer Wellmark announces no more individual policies”
Bo – If you want to keep your doctor you can – Google Obama drug bust – looks like He’s in Hiding on a small island — The US attorney general Sessions has an arrest warrant out for him ???? Could it be this sweet? Google it !
My God, you are are one seriously stupid freakin’ moron.
What do you think about that you dimwit demo-derby crats ???
You liberal dipshxts think Government is the answer to everything. People all over the world hate socialism yet here in America the Progressive/Socialists like Racist still want and promote the destruction of America with their liberal agenda.
Racist blames everyone but her/himself. Government can’t do anything better then the private sector can. Thankfully the American People are waking up the BS that Democrats are pushing.
There was never anyway our Government can manage health care or any other part of a “free enterprise” business without eventual failure.
You right wing Republicans think that everything is the Democrats’ fault but you won’t take credit when your agenda is proven wrong. The trickle down theory of economics has been proven wrong, the policy of letting big business do what they want is wrong, and the isolation you desireof for this country from the world will eventually leave us without allies or trade partners. I’m not for a socialist state but this thug society you want is b.s. The leaders of your party are just as corrupt and worthless as the Democrats. They don’t do anything except serve themselves. Don’t kid yourself Lapdog, you are as much of a problem in this country as the person sitting next to you.
Hate to burst your bubble but “trickle down” actually works.
And what proof do you have of this? Look at the ever increasing wage gap, look at the dwindling middle class, look at the extreme levels of poverty. Guess what? It turns out the rich don’t really like to share their wealth once they make it! What little does trickle down isn’t enough to sustain this cycle. Particularly when idiots like you keep electing billionaires into office who really just want to help themselves and get out.
Electing a Billionaire is much better than electing a communist like Obama who wants to give our country away. Or of course you always have “Give me Free Stuff Sanders who was even worse than Obama. What a bunch of losers. Trickle down works because at least we get something back. With you communist Demorats it is always nothing back to the people who do the paying.
Interesting. Where is your economics or finance degree from?
And you hate senior citizens I see. Talk about bigots and racists.. That moniker fits you Democrats to a T!
The old geezer is LVS, who is neither a senior or a citizen. Senile alien from wacko land.
Your lack of intelligence is showing again troll. You don’t have guts enough to use your name so like the coward you are you snipe from behind.
Said “Anonymous” hypocritically
And your parents named you “Nada Racist”?
Yes. Nada is her real name. I am her twin sister, my name is Was A Racist. At birth our parents named us Anonymous I and II.
Well of course not silly. But using the same handle here over and over allows people to identify my posts. LVS used to do the same thing until he became even more frightened than he already was. So he switched to “Anonymous” or no name at all, which is what many people use. This makes it hard to identify who they are, except of course when it’s LVS because his posting style is always the same – DUMB.
Another one gone. Pretty soon there will be none left and the people will have nothing. Thanks for nothing Democrats.
You can thank the politicians, not just democrats. The ACA is modeled after Romneycare introduced in MA by Mitt Romney when he was governor. Both parties are in bed with the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, and they are profiting at our dwindling healthcare. Single payer is the best option.
Romney didn’t pass the monstrosity called Obamacare. The crooked Democrats did. They own it and people like you that voted for them own it too. All the rest of what you say is just bullshit.
Obamacare was plagiarized from Romney’s plan, the difference was Romney had 435 million dollars of federal money coming in that had to be spent. Obama thought the funding for ACA was going fall out the sky! Sign it, then you can read it! You got hoodwinked!
You are so correct…in bed with the pharmaceuticals and insurance companies!!! Why is no one looking into this????? At least a one payer system would bid for lower premiums and better quality!!! Why are we the only country with such high cost insurance and medications??????! Don’t give me the ” poor quality and waiting for health care” as if the insurance companies have competition they will give better health care with lower premiums and lower pharaceutical!!! We are looking in the wrong direction!! Look at the insurances!!!! Same with the cars..making them safer but premiums continue to rise…Insurance companies making huge profits!!!! Give me a break!!!!!!
Auto premiums are set to rise because of the affordable Health Care Act too due to the medical coverage that is packaged into the typical auto policy. True story.
It was never about health, read it fools, also the company the affordable health care is owned by Prince William, don’t believe it, look it up.
Any relation to Prince Albert ??
More evidence that Obamacare is poor law. Thank you Nancy and Harry and Barrack for nothing.
Actually the ACA was modeled after Mitt Romney’s plan he introduced in MA. So thanks for nothing Mitt! The ACA needs to be repealed and replaced with single payer for all. Conservatives love to point out that competition and the free market drive the prices down. Clearly that has not been the case in our for profit health care system.
Do you ever take responsibility for anything? Now you want to blame Mitt Romney.
You liberals destroy everything you touch and then want to blame someone else. Disgusting!
Remember how republicans spent 8 years blaming everything on Obama? You’re a party blind hypocrite. I’m not blaming Romney, but you’re too stupid to recognize that. The ACA was not a Democrat idea, it was first tested in MA under Romney. Get a clue.