NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee has reversed course and decided that it is willing to offer Obamacare insurance plans in the Knoxville area in 2018.
Kevin Walters, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce and Insurance, said that if the plan is approved by the state, then all counties in Tennessee will have an insurance provider through the marketplace.
J.D. Hickey, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, said in a letter Tuesday to the state that the company's decision was not political. The decision comes after the U.S. House passed a bill backed by Republicans that rolls back much of former President Barack Obama's health care law.
Hickey said that despite losses totaling more than $400 million in three years, the company's 2017 performance has improved.