In a letter to UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has urged the company to continue its participation in the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Earlier this month, UnitedHealthcare announced it would scale back marketing of its exchange plans for 2016, and would consider leaving the exchanges fully in 2017.
The senator said over 700,000 Connecticut residents have enrolled in exchanges, which has caused Connecticut’s uninsured rate to drop by 50 percent.
Blumenthal in the letter expressed his “deep disappointment” that the company, which has a significant presence in Connecticut, will stop paying commissions for insurance policies offered through the exchanges beginning Jan. 1, 2016. Blumenthal said that is “a move experts say signals a retreat from the public health exchanges.” UHC, according to Blumenthal, will continue selling insurance plans for 2016, but would suspend marketing.
According to Blumenthal, UHC’s actions run counter to the what others are doing. He said in a statement, “The number of insurers participating in the ACA-created Marketplace has grown in 2016 and other large health insurers have voiced optimism about the prospects of the marketplace.”