Following the latest twists and turns in the ongoing saga of the Affordable Care Act can be difficult. As Michael Pope reports, that’s because the story has more twists and turns than a soap opera.
In the last episode, health insurance provider Optima shocked Virginia with a sudden and unexpected change of heart. Despite vowing to expand into rural parts of the state, the company had second thoughts. That news came shortly after heavyweight provider Anthem decided to leave the show at the end of the current season. Now Anthem is making a comeback.
“My head is certainly spinning. So we’re all just kind of on the edge of our seat.”
That’s Sabrina Corlette at Georgetown University. She studies the ongoing soap opera of the Affordable Care Act across the country and here in Virginia. She says Anthem has been on the receiving end of some heavy lobbying in recent weeks as the calendar closes in on open enrollment season.
“What we have seen at the local level is that Anthem has responded to persuasion from state officials who have really tried to work with them proactively to get them to stick around.”
That’s persuasion from both sides of the aisle -- Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe and Republican leaders in the House of Delegates. They put pressure on Anthem to come back to Virginia so that people all across the Commonwealth will have health insurance coverage next year.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
