Health insurer Anthem said Friday that it is reversing its decision to quit the Obamacare exchange in Virginia and instead will expand its presence in the state.
The company, part of Blue Cross Blue Shield, will sell Obamacare plans on and off the exchange in 68 counties in the commonwealth, including the 63 counties that would not previously have had an insurer selling the plans.
The exchanges allow people who do not have health insurance through a job or through Medicare and Medicaid to buy coverage that is subsidized by the government.
Several insurers have left Virginia, causing counties to become empty at times. The most recent change came from Optima Health, which decided to offer fewer plans than in 2017 after previously saying it would offer plans in every state. Insurers have said that they have suffered significant losses by participating in the exchanges and they have said too much uncertainty is ahead in terms of what Congress will do to change the law and whether the Trump administration will make payments to insurers, known as cost-sharing reduction payments.
The payments were determined unconstitutional by a federal judge after they were challenged under the Obama administration, and Congress is considering appropriating them.
The decision from Anthem comes a day after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., slammed the company during a hearing on Obamacare for exiting some exchanges while profiting through government funding in Medicare and Medicaid.
The company did not say in its statement how much it would charge for premiums.
“Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has served consumers in the individual market in Virginia for more than 80 years and we remain committed to ensuring all Virginians have an option for health insurance coverage available to them,” the statement read.
