NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc said on Wednesday that it will offer Obamacare plans in only about half of the counties in Kentucky next year, after covering the whole state in 2017.
The insurer said it will offer the healthcare plans in 59 counties in the state in 2018. It said all 120 counties in Kentucky will still have a carrier offering plans next year.
Health insurers are facing an upheaval in their businesses amid growing uncertainty about healthcare legislation under President Donald Trump, who seeks to follow through on his promise to dismantle former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act.
Insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc, Aetna Inc and Humana Inc have exited most of the states where they sold Obamacare plans, leaving hundreds of U.S. counties at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018.
But other insurers, including Centene Corp, have filled those gaps, expanding into counties that had lost their coverage options.
Every U.S. county is currently projected to have at least one insurer offering Obamacare individual coverage next year. Still, 1,487 counties could have only one insurer in 2018.
(Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
