Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield will be the only option for West Virginia health insurance consumers shopping for coverage through the state's individual exchange, according to a Charleston Daily Mail report.
Charleston, W.Va.-based Carelink Health Plans — which is run by Coventry Health Care — also applied to sell individual health plans through the state exchange but recently decided not to participate, according to the report.
Coventry's parent company, Aetna, has also opted not to participate in the new exchanges in various states such as New York, Ohio, Maryland, Connecticut, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
Because of the lack of competition, it's uncertain whether West Virginia residents will still see reasonable premiums for coverage through the new marketplace established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Perry Bryant, executive director of the nonprofit group West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, told the Mail. The state has yet to release premium rates.
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