Wellmark Pulls Out of Individual Market Because of Obamacare

(Americans For Prosperity – Iowa) On Monday, the Des Moines Register reported that Iowa’s major carrier, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield based in Des Moines, will stop selling individual policies in the state beginning in 2018. The group has stated they can no longer sustain the high cost of covering people under Obamacare. Wellmark has stated their departure will impact 21,400 Iowa residents. The company reportedly “lost $90 million over three years” covering Iowans who purchased such plans.

Americans for Prosperity-Iowa State Director Drew Klein released the following comment:

“This is a startling wake-up call, but hopefully it is clearer than ever to Iowa’s federal legislators that Obamacare is failing and must be fully repealed. Obamacare’s burdensome insurance mandates and regulations need to be repealed because they are driving up prices. By driving up prices, they are scaring away younger healthier customers, leaving insurance companies with unsustainably expensive customer pools. If the Obamacare law isn’t repealed, we can expect the trend of insurers pulling out of the market to continue here in Iowa and across the nation.”

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local, state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream – especially the least fortunate. AFP has more than 3.2 million activists across the nation, a local infrastructure that includes 35 state chapters, and has received financial support from more than 100,000 Americans in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org