Providers cut plans for Pinal
CASA GRANDE — Area health care providers are alarmed at a decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Health Net to stop offering federal marketplace plans in Pinal County next year.
Blue Cross Blue Shield officials cited financial losses of $185 million on individual marketplace plans in 2014 and 2015, prompting the departure from Pinal and Maricopa counties.
“We had to strike a balance between how we serve the market and the losses these plans incurred,” Rich Boals, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield, said in a statement. “After months of working through scenarios, we believe we have found a mix of plan types and benefits changes that will make these ACA plans sustainable for at least another year,” he said of the plan to continue coverage in other counties.
It is very concerning for rural areas to have their number of federal health insurance plans drop continually, according to Arizona Center for Rural Health Director Dr. Daniel Derksen. It is always better for a place like Pinal County to have a robust array of health plan choices, he said, in order to keep premium costs down.
