An analysis by the respected Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 31 percent of U.S. counties will have only one insurer to choose from when open enrollment for Obamacare commences Nov. 1. Another 31 percent will have only two, and one county — Pinal in Arizona — likely will have none.
In 2016, only 7 percent had only one insurer choice, while 29 percent had just two. Most of the counties affected are rural.
“A number of steps remain before the full picture of this year’s marketplace competition is known, but the ACA [Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare] has greatly expanded the insurance options available to consumers in the individual marketplace,” Marjorie Connolly, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Wall Street Journal.
Read “Analysis of 2017 Premium Changes and Insurer Participation.”