Here is an article from California Healthline titled “Blue Shield’s Trims To Out-Of-State Coverage Give Some Californians The Blues” by Barbara Ostrov that got my attention.  It is well written and explains the ongoing problem we are having with destabilization of the health insurance market.  Because the benefits are mandated under ObamaCare, the only way carriers can react is by either raising rates of restricting the networks.  The result has been the advent of “narrow” networks and this article is a good example of how that is occurring.

Depending on the area, we are now down to one or two carriers in the IFP market.  In very rural Susanville, this probably meant in all practicality that only Blue Shield was available meaning there were no other good options.

As an agent, the first thing we look at in this situation is if the individual is self-employed and can form a group.  It is also common for people to hold on to their COBRA until it is exhausted.  The problem is that not everyone can do that.

In the first years of the ACA, we saw a migration of people from group to IFP.  And while a trickle, that trend has now reversed.