Here's where Obamacare's biggest problem will hit the hardest
Obamacare has a competition problem.
The number of insurers in some parts of the country has been decreasing, especially with the loss of major insurers Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. The number of pricing regions (areas set by the state regulator that are covered by a particular exchange) with only one insurer is on the rise.
As more and more insurers pull out of the public exchanges, concerns grow over how that will filter to consumers. The thought is that lower competition among insurers can lead to higher prices. If there were a monopoly or duopoly, there would be less incentive to lower costs in order to draw in consumers.
Based on an analysis by Avalere Health, we've compiled a map of the percentage of pricing regions in each state where there is only one insurer.
There are seven states - Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, South Carolina, Alaska, and North Carolina - where the entire state is down to just one choice. Five other states have at least 50% of their ratings regions offering only one insurer.
Check below and see how many areas in your state are facing the competition problem.
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