Here are five things to know:
1. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said competition remains stable for 2016, with an average of 10 issuers per state, but beyond 2016, the future is very unclear.
2. UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest private insurer, said last November its current costs were unsustainable and it would reduce its efforts to attract new customers.
3. Humana reported similar concerns, saying up to 300,000 customers could drop their coverage by the end of 2016, meaning Humana won’t bring in enough revenue to cover the costs of its individual plans.
4. More than half of the nation’s 23 insurance co-ops dropped out of the marketplace, generally due to difficulty in obtaining market share and the challenge of effectively pricing a brand new insurance market.
5. Knoxville, Tenn.-based co-op Community Health Alliance stopped offering plans in 2016, affecting 27,000 customers, citing current and future financial conditions.
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