Northwest Iowa — Earlier this week we told you that Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has decided not to offer individual health insurance protection in Iowa next year. Now, a second insurance carrier has followed suit, leaving only one company offering the policies in our area.
If you are one of the area residents who gets your individual health insurance coverage through Aetna, you’ll have to find another insurer begining next year. A statement from the Iowa Insurance Division says Aetna has notified the division that the company will be leaving Iowa’s individual market.
Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said this is a problem created by the Affordable Care Act and needs to be fixed by Congress.
With the exit of Aetna and Wellmark, area residents will have just one choice for individual health insurance plans.
There are two companies left offering individual insurance plans in Iowa, but only one of them, Medica, is available here in northwest Iowa. The other company, Gunderson, doesn’t serve this part of the state.
