Your Health | Insurer exits in Obamacare marketplace leave some counties “bare” as Sept. 27 deadline looms

Sept. 15--Anyone who depends on Obamacare insurance should hang onto their hats. The next 10 days could bring more turbulence to an already volatile market.

Consider the past month: In August, federal officials announced that all counties in the U.S. had at least one insurer in the Affordable Care Act marketplace that many refer to as Obamacare.

Then, Anthem pulled out of most of the Virginia market. That led to Optima Health's announcement earlier this month to curtail coverage in large swathes of the state that it had planned to serve.

Those moves, on top of earlier departures by Aetna and UnitedHealthCare, have left 58 counties with no insurer as a critical Sept. 27 deadline approaches when insurers must submit final coverage plans.

Most of the "bare counties" are in the western part of the state, but Eastern Shore counties also got left out, along with other rural localities scattered across Virginia. State officials estimate that 60,000 people currently enrolled could face an empty marketplace.

Virginia is the only state to have such counties, not exactly a claim to fame.

Michael Dudley, president and CEO of locally based Optima Health, said the company had changed earlier plans to expand coverage because of the withdrawal of other insurance carriers, and the uncertainty of "cost-sharing reductions," which are $7 billion in federal payments that help cover costs on the exchange for customers with modest incomes.

State health and insurance officials are scrambling to find insurers for the "bare" areas, as federal legislators argue about the merits of stabilizing the marketplace.

Optima will continue to offer ACA coverage in Hampton Roads, the only carrier here after Anthem's withdrawal. Currently, Optima offers ACA individual plans in 116 localities. Earlier this year, the company was going to expand to 126 localities next year. But the volatility of the market caused it instead to reduce coverage to 30 cities and counties in 2018.

Even so, the number of Virginians covered by Optima is estimated to increase from 17,000 to 75,000 because of the exit of other insurers.

Those who depend on Obamacare plans can also expect premium boosts during the Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 enrollment window for 2018 insurance. If you qualify for a subsidy, you can expect a 1.5 percent increase, which works out to about $4 a month more. That's not so bad for the 70 percent of Optima's ACA customers who qualify for one.

Those who don't qualify for a subsidy will experience some sticker shock. The premium will increase by about 82 percent for a 40-year-old in one of the more popular "silver" plans, which works out to $266 more a month.

But if the past is any indication of the next 10 days, there could still be some shifting.

Optima is watching the market and legislators' stabilization efforts, and could revise the premium figures before the Sept. 27 deadline.

So, stay tuned.

In other health news:

Mark your calendar for Sept. 23. The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk and the National Alliance for Mental Illness will team up to feature works by artists who have either struggled with mental illness or depicted it on canvas. Jonathan Markham, manager of Chrysler's curriculum and gallery program, will lead the tour at 2 p.m.

An exhibit called "Art and Mental Health, Through the Eyes of The Artist" will also open that day and run through Oct. 15 at the Chrysler's Family and Student Gallery. The artwork is by youths from the Kempsville Center for Behavioral Health and students from the Green Run Collegiate International Baccalaureate Visual Arts program.

Free flu vaccines:

Health departments thoughout the region will offer free flu vaccines on Sept. 23. Bring your vaccine record and wear a short-sleeve shirt:

Drive-through flu shots:

Eastern Shore Community College, 29300 Lankford Highway, Melfa; 9 a.m. to noon, for those 18 years and older.

Gloucester Fire and Rescue, 7598 Dutton Road, Gloucester; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., ages 10 and older.

Tidewater Community College Portsmouth Campus, 120 Campus Drive, Portsmouth; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older.

Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Center, 1070 University Blvd., Portsmouth; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

Green Run High School, 1700 Dahlia Drive, Virginia Beach; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

Drive-through and walk-up flu vaccines:

Military Circle Mall, 880 N. Military Highway, Norfolk, in the former Macy's parking lot; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

Walk-up only flu vaccines:

Newtown Elementary School, 5277 Learning Circle, Virginia Beach; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

Chesapeake Health Department, 748 N. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

Peninsula Town Center Courtyard, 4410 E. Claiborne Square, Hampton; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 3 and older.

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