Here are four key points:
1. The report used enrollment data from 2016 and 2017 to conclude the ACA individual market is “not in a death spiral.” However, the analysis noted the marketplace is not stable.
2. The report estimated Blue Cross Blue Shield individual plans will likely break even in 2017 and may have a modest increase in 2018.
3. S&P analysts expect other insurers could also post positive margins if legislators implement a “few fixes” to the marketplace.
4. Despite premiums increasing in 2017, ACA enrollment did not substantially drop as some analysts initially predicted. S&P reports this is in part due to the ACA’s income-based premium tax credits offsetting the premium increase for more than 80 percent of enrollees who qualify for subsidies.
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