Barbara Richardson, Nevada’s insurance commissioner, announced Monday that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would be pulling out of the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplaces entirely for 2018. The news comes on the heels of a June announcement that the insurer would be dramatically reducing its footprint in the state, leaving 14 of Nevada’s 17 counties without an insurer. The withdrawal is not expected to result in any additional “bare” counties.
In a statement, Richardson said that her division is working to attract an insurer to Nevada’s bare counties and “remain[s] optimistic that there will be coverage for consumers on the Exchange throughout the state.”
Anthem has announced plans in recent months to withdraw from ACA exchanges in a number of states, citing uncertainty over the fate of the ACA and the cost-sharing reduction payments that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold.
