Ben Philipson

With the collapse of the New York State Health Republic co-op due to expire today, 200,000 New Yorkers “will see their Health Republic policies expire on Monday, marking the demise of the 12th health insurance co-op established under the Affordable Care Act.”, as per USA Today. Customers “who haven’t chosen a new plan by Monday will be automatically enrolled in one of three other health plans, which will cover them for December.”

       The shutdown has left New York’s physicians and hospitals in somewhat of a dilemma, according to a survey by the Medical Society of the State of New York, 43 percent of physicians have claims unpaid by the insurer. Medical Society President Dr. Joseph Maldonado, said “the situation will make physicians more wary of participating in health reform initiatives in the future.”

      In a report by the New York Times, discussing the partisan views, the “turmoil” in health insurance markets, “volatile” premiums, and the collapse of 12 of 23 nonprofit insurance cooperatives under the ACA have “emboldened advocates on both sides of the political spectrum, providing ammunition to conservatives who want to shrink the federal role and liberals who want to expand it.” The Times said that determining whether these problems “are just temporary setbacks for the law, as the White House contends, or signs of fundamental problems, as Republicans say, is not clear.”

HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan “said his agency is working to provide more flexibility’ for the remaining co-ops and give them technical assistance.”