Harken Health will leave the Georgia insurance exchange with little impact, according to industry observers, as the carrier has a limited number of policyholders in the state.
Harken is an independent affiliate of UnitedHealth whose membership is mainly limited to metro Atlanta.
The company is also set to exit the Chicago exchange, where it maintains its other market.
Analysts noted that the leave taking of major carriers UnitedHealthcare and Aetna resonated further in the Georgia exchange. The exchange is part of the mandate of the Affordable Care Act enacted in 2014 to provide universal healthcare in the US by giving consumers access to reasonably priced health insurance.
According to the Georgia insurance department, Harken’s members total 10,000 in the state, both inside and outside the exchange.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia will remain in the exchange, and offer health plans in the state in 2017. Still, the metro Atlanta market is expected to remain competitive, with five remaining players in the state exchange.
Almost 590,000 Georgians signed up for insurance in the 2016 enrollment period, reflecting a 9% increase over the 540,000 who enrolled last year.
