Centene to expand Obamacare insurance to three new states in 2018

By Reuters Staff

(Reuters) - Centene Corp, one of the largest players in the Obamacare individual insurance market, said on Tuesday it would expand into three new states in 2018, despite uncertainty over the future of the legislation under President Donald Trump's administration.

The company said it plans to enter Kansas, Missouri and Nevada in 2018, as well as expand its operations in six existing markets: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.

The move is in contrast to some other insurers, which have blamed Republicans for not doing enough to stabilize the marketplace, particularly in guaranteeing the continued payment of Obamacare cost-sharing subsidies next year.

The subsidies are available to low-income Americans who buy individual health insurance on the exchanges created under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare.

Republican lawmakers and Trump have promised to repeal and replace the law but have disagreed over the details, creating uncertainty at a time when insurers must submit plans and premium rates for 2018.

"Centene recognizes there is uncertainty of new healthcare legislation, but we are well positioned to continue providing accessible, high quality and culturally-sensitive healthcare services to our members," CEO Michael Neidorff said in a statement.

Anthem Inc, which has long said that uncertainty over the payments used to make insurance more affordable could cause it to exit markets next year, last week announced it would exit most of the Ohio market in 2018.

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