Why insurers are quitting Obamacare, explained

Kerry Reed is allergic to a lot of things: apple cider vinegar, avocados, squash, onions, dairy, some types of flour ... the list goes on.

The 46-year-old freelance grant writer is even allergic to water if it’s not extensively filtered. And she’s developing new allergies all the time, the result of a rare disease doctors diagnosed her with in 2016.

Byrd Pinkerton/Vox

Right now, Reed’s disease is manageable. She has health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But in January, she got some bad news: Her plan would quit the Obamacare marketplace. That left the Knoxville, Tennessee, area where she and 40,000 other Obamacare enrollees live with no Obamacare options.

How did things get so bad? Why don’t health insurers want to sell Obamacare? Is the law really exploding — and if it is, is President Obama or President Trump to blame?

On this episode of Weeds in the Wild, we’re using Sarah Kliff’s reporting to help you understand why states all across the country are developing these giant bald spots in their Obamacare markets. We look at what it will mean for people like Kerry if the law “explodes” — and what the Trump administration could do to intervene if it wanted.

Like what you’re hearing? Listen to other Weeds in the Wild episodes here.

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