Another insurer warns it might leave Iowa market, has concerns with health care law

Published 9:07 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2017

DES MOINES, Iowa — The last carrier of individual health insurance policies in most of Iowa might stop offering them to residents.

Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Medica announced Wednesday that its ability to stay in the Iowa insurance market “is in question at this point.”

The company echoed statements by two larger carriers that already have announced their intentions to leave the market: Aetna and Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield. All three cited instability in the market because of concerns about the Affordable Care Act.

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The carriers’ exits would not affect Iowans who obtain insurance through their employers or through a government program. But the exits could leave more than 70,000 Iowans who buy their own coverage without any options for next year.

The announcement comes as the U.S. House of Representatives discusses how to replace the Affordable Care Act.