Louisville, Ky.-based Humana is the first major payer to announce it will completely withdraw from the ACA marketplace in 2018, according to the New York Times.
Here are four key notes:
1. Humana sold policies in 11 states this year, with the company saying in January 2017 that customer enrollment dropped substantially after this last enrollment period.
2. Following Humana's announcement, President Donald Trump tweeted, "Obamacare continues to fail. Humana to pull out in 2018. Will repeal, replace & save healthcare for ALL Americans."
3. Payers are scrambling on the best way to proceed as healthcare's future is up in the air, NYT reports. Many are not sure if they will offer ACA coverage in 2018 and are waiting on the government to solidify a healthcare plan.
4. In other news, Aetna and Humana opted to end their merger agreement this week after Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Department of Justice and blocked the deal.