President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Centene Corp, one of the largest players in the Obamacare individual insurance market, will offer Obamacare plans in 14 rural counties of Nevada in 2018, the Nevada Independent reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Nevada was left without insurance coverage after US health insurer Anthem Inc said last week it would pare back its Obamacare offerings in the state exchange next year.
Health insurers are facing an upheaval in their businesses amid growing uncertainty over the healthcare legislation under President Donald Trump’s administration, who seek to follow through on his promise to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. Centene is among the few large-cap health insurers that have not exited the individual insurance market despite Republican lawmakers’ persistent efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
In June, the company said it would enter into three new states and would expand operations in six existing markets in 2018. Insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc, Aetna Inc and Humana Inc have exited most of the states where they sold Obamacare plans, leaving hundreds of US counties at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018. Centene, which reported better-than-expected quarterly results late last month, was not immediately available for comment.
