Blue Cross leaving Illinois ACA exchange for small businesses

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will no longer offer group plans for small businesses through the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange, the company announced this week.

“BCBSIL will continue to offer a variety of plans to small businesses off the exchange to serve the varying needs of our small business employers,” a company spokeswoman said.

When Obamacare went into effect, the federal government predicted that 4 million people would be covered through its Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP. It hit less than 6 percent of that goal.

As of January 2017, just 27,000 employers nationwide had SHOP plans covering about 230,000 people, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

In Illinois, 3,512 workers from 738 businesses were covered under such plans. It’s unclear howmany of thosewere covered byBlueCross.

Blue Cross’ departure leaves downstate Health Alliance as the only insurer offering an Obamacare exchange plan in 2018 for small businesses, but options for those companies “remain steady,” according to the Illinois Department of Insurance.