“And since the remaining uninsured are disproportionately younger and healthier, signing them up improves the risk pool and consequently the affordability of coverage for all enrollees”, Obama said in the letter.
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Obama, who the White House said “dropped by” the Monday meeting, added in the letter that “time and experience will help drive that improvement, as will constructive policy changes”.
The meeting comes as several large insurers, such as Aetna and United Healthcare, have announced that they are pulling back from the ObamaCare marketplaces next year, citing financial losses.
The meeting included leaders from Humana, Cigna, Highmark Health, Molina Healthcare and several Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers, along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, according to a statement from the White House. Consumers who buy health coverage through the state’s health exchange marketplace next year will have two options.
Executives from Aetna and UnitedHealth did not participate in Monday’s meeting.
During the meeting, administration officials emphasized the importance of continuing the progress the ACA has made in boosting Americans’ access to health insurance, while also asking the insurance executives for ideas that would help strengthen the marketplaces. The Marketplace, while strong, is no exception.
President Barack Obama on Monday urged US insurers offering coverage next year under his national healthcare law to step up their efforts to enroll those who remain uninsured, especially younger and healthier Americans.
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Obama points to the set of policy changes his administration offered in recent weeks created to address some concerns voiced by insurance companies, but he also solicits the insurers’ help in reaching young, healthy consumers who remain without coverage.
