Faced with the rising prospect of “bare counties” with no marketplace plans, insurers have stepped in to offer coverage — in part because they see an opportunity to make money with alternative models, experts say.

While more than 80 counties with 92,000 enrollees had been at risk of becoming “bare” in 2018, residents of all but one county in the U.S. now will have access to an ACA health plan next year thanks to the lobbying efforts of state officials in both red and blue states, according to Politico.

“Typically risk-averse insurers have rushed in to serve those small pockets of the country both to save Obamacare — and because they saw a chance to make money,” the report says. “Since the overwhelming majority of Obamacare customers qualify for income-based subsidies, they will be largely immune to huge premium increases and unlikely to drop coverage. That gives a lone insurer incredible power to set higher rates.”

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Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.