BlueCross will be offering plans in areas shaded blue and not in areas shaded in orange
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has made the decision to not offer Affordable Care Act plans in three of the eight Tennessee regions in 2017, including Memphis, Knoxville and Nashville. These are the three largest areas and over 131,000 people are expected to be affected.
This change does not include those on Medicare or BlueCare.
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee officials said, "We’re trying hard to make the Affordable Care Act work in Tennessee and are offering plans in most of the state for 2017.
"Because of many challenges, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to end coverage in three regions for 2017 – the Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville regions.
"We’re disappointed in this development, but want to help you understand how we made this decision and how it affects you."
Coverage will still be offered in the Chattanooga area, including the counties of Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie.
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee officials said, “It’s not something we want to do but we believe we must look out for the health care and financial security for all the members that we serve. … The prospect of future losses has us in a place where we believe we need to reduce our risk in hopes that this marketplace will stabilize at some point.”
Senator Bob Corker said, "This is unwelcome news for more than 131,000 hardworking Tennesseans that will no longer be able to keep their health care plan. The number of individuals in our state negatively impacted by this law only continues to grow, and with high premiums, rising out-of-pocket costs, and reduced choice, it is clear that the Affordable Care Act is failing Tennesseans.”
Senator Corker noted that he "strongly opposed the passage of the Affordable Care Act and has supported legislation to repeal it."
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said, "More than 131,000 Tennesseans who buy their insurance on the Obamacare exchange will lose their current insurance policy and have to scramble to find another policy. This is more evidence that Obamacare is falling apart. Short term, we need to give families the opportunity to use their Obamacare subsidies to buy a policy for 2017 outside of the exchange. Longer term, regardless of who the new president is, we need to replace Obamacare with insurance choices that allow Tennesseans to select low-cost insurance that fits their budget and their health care needs.”
Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) said, “Blue Cross’s decision is the latest canary in the coalmine. This is the collapse of coverage Commissioner McPeak warned about last month. This is the legacy of Obamacare – failure and collapse. When the Blues quit coverage, it should tell you something.
“Now others see more clearly why Medicaid expansion in Tennessee was always an intolerable risk. The uncertainty of an unreliable federal government puts Tennesseans unreasonably at risk. This is just the next chapter. Uncle Sam failed to keep his commitment earlier this year which caused the Obamacare co-ops to fail in January. Now the exchanges are in grave jeopardy.
“The collapse of the co-ops was a harbinger of things to come. During her testimony before the Senate in January, the Commissioner of Insurance blamed it on the fed’s failure to keep its commitment. It was true then. It is true now.
“My main concern right now is for the folks who must now find coverage where it may cost too much or may not exist at all.”
Americans for Prosperity - Tennessee State Director Andrew Ogles said, “It’s no surprise BlueCross has opted to leave the Obamacare marketplace in major Tennessee cities. Only one insurer will be participating in 73 out of 95 counties. This is part of the bigger picture. Obamacare is not working; it is failing Americans across the country and forcing a mandated monopoly on taxpayers."
“The legislature was wise to reject Obamacare expansion in our state. Whether it’s called InsureTN or the 3-Star Healthy Project, locking Tennessee into a plan that is obviously crumbling only further entrenches Obamacare. It’s time for real free-market healthcare reforms. We are calling on legislators and Tennesseans from across the state to join with us to push for healthcare solutions that do not involve Obamacare.”
"For four years, the legislature has gone out of its way to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and that's now coming back to bite us," said tate Senator Jeff Yarbro. "The legislature's decision to do nothing on Medicaid expansion is plainly contributing to an unstable insurance market. It's time for legislators to get their heads out of the sand and take action that will actually help Tennesseans."
Senator Yarbro and state Rep. John Ray Clemmons said it was time for Tennessee lawmakers to take an active role in making the Affordable Care Act work in Tennessee. To that end, they will host an informal committee meeting on Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. to hear from health care policy experts, as well as real people affected by instability in the insurance market. The committee will meet at Legislative Plaza in LP 29.
On Aug. 31, Senator Yarbro and Rep. Clemmons called for legislative hearings on extreme rate hikes in the health insurance marketplace.
"The exchanges were deliberately set up so that states would take an active role," Rep. Clemmons said. "The states that have tried to make it work are very successful, but Tennessee never tried to make it work. Our legislature decided it was more important to undermine the President than to make sure we have a working, affordable health insurance market."
"Republican lawmakers have taken a victory lap today because they want to see the Affordable Care Act fail," said Rep. Clemmons. "But this is a Tennessee problem. We need leaders who are willing to do the work and find a solution."