Sen. Portman: 20 of Ohio’s 88 Counties Now Have No Insurer Offering Health Coverage on the ObamaCare Exchange

WASHINGTON, June 6 -- The office of Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) issued the following statement after health insurer Anthem announced it was pulling out of the ObamaCare exchanges in Ohio, leaving at least 20 Ohio counties without a single health insurer offering coverage on the health law's exchange:

"For the past few years we've seen premiums and deductibles skyrocket because of the ObamaCare law, as we've seen a declining number of viable health care choices for families and small businesses. Now, with the pullout of Anthem in Ohio, there are at least 20 counties without a single insurer offering health coverage on the ObamaCare exchange. And many other counties will have only one insurer, with no competition to get costs down for families. This is a problem not just in Ohio but across the country. Approximately one-third of the counties around the United States now only have one insurer, and more and more counties are seeing their last insurer leave just like those in Ohio.

"Without true competition and choice in the market, we will never be able to lower health care costs for families and small businesses. This is one more reason why the status quo on health care is unsustainable. The Affordable Care Act has failed to meet the promises that were made to Ohio families. We can and must do better than ObamaCare, but we should do it in a way that protects the most vulnerable in our society. I'm going to do everything I can to protect Ohio's interests and ensure that our health care system works better for all Ohioans."