With Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Carolina's largest health insurance company, contemplating pulling out of the Affordable Care Act, nearly 300,000 North Carolinians may be forced to find new health insurance or forgo insurance entirely, according to wsoctv.com.
Here are four points:
1. In 23 counties, BCBS is the sole option for health insurance.
2. University of North Carolina Professor Michael Thompson, PhD, said BCBS is the only company that offers ACA plans in all North Carolina counties.
3. "It's a horrible situation for consumers to be in right now," Dr. Thompson said. "The consumers in those counties, if Blue Cross leaves, will have very few or no choices."
4. In a statement, BCBS said, "While the ACA has improved the availability of healthcare, it has done little to address the underlying costs of care and so far has resulted in skyrocketing premiums. Consistently losing money on these plans ultimately puts all of our customers at risk. We are doing everything we can to participate in the exchange, but must evaluate the sustainability and affordability of any plans we offer our customers for 2017."
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