Blue Cross Blue Shield and Coventry to be the Only Providers in
North Carolina to Offer Obamacare Insurance Exchanges

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following statement after receiving news that health insurance monopolies are forming as a result of Obamacare in North Carolina:

"We are now four days away from Obamacare's implementation and each moment, we are receiving new reports as to how devastating this law will be for the men and women of North Carolina. Yesterday, we discovered that health insurance rates are expected to triple for women and quadruple for men in North Carolina once this law goes into effect. Today, we were informed that virtual monopolies are now being created to sell this poison pill to our people."

"We were promised lower costs and more competition. Yet Obamacare is doing the exact opposite. The whole point of an online marketplace was to provide options, so North Carolinians could go online, compare prices, and choose plans from different companies. That is how competition is supposed to work! Although seven insurance companies currently operate in North Carolina, under the new Obamacare exchanges, those options will dwindle down to one in the majority of counties."

Starting October 1st, only two insurance companies will offer health insurance in North Carolina. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) will offer insurance in all 100 counties while Coventry (now owned by Aetna) will not be available in the eastern part of the state. Coventry will only offer insurance in 39 counties, leaving BCBS of North Carolina with a monopoly in the remaining 61 counties. The variety will be even less pronounced in the exchange set up for small groups - the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) with only BCBS offering plans in 2014, according to Tracy Baker, Carolinas CEO for Coventry.

The Associated Press reported this morning that in North Carolina, over 60 percent of the counties will have only one insurance provider to choose from when the Obamacare insurance exchanges go live in just 4 days:

"Only Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will offer insurance plans available statewide on the exchange. The only other company selling coverage on North Carolina's exchange is Coventry Health Care of the Carolinas. It plans to offer plans on the exchange in 39 counties, including rural ones and those that include Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville and Fayetteville. Aetna acquired Coventry in May."

"North Carolina shoppers also will have fewer than half the policies to choose from than the average of 53 plans across the 36 states."

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Congresswoman Renee Ellmers serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is Chairwoman of the Republican Women's Policy Committee.

She represents the Second District of North Carolina which includes all of Fort Bragg.

For more information, please visit Congresswoman Ellmers’ website at
www.ellmers.house.gov or call (202) 225-4531.

Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @RepReneeEllmers