Harken Health backtracks, pulls out of South Florida exchanges

In a surprise move, Harken Health has announced it will pull out of Affordable Care Act exchanges in South Florida, focusing instead on markets in Georgia and Illinois, according to the Miami Herald.

Despite the insurer’s focus on innovative primary care models, including plans to open 12 primary care clinics in Miami-Dade and Broward counties that would pair members with a “health coach,” Harken said it would no longer sell ACA plans on in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. The South Florida region is considered one of the most competitive in the country, with 11 insurers requesting to sell plans in the upcoming open enrollment period.

“We have made a strategic decision to maintain a keen focus on our current markets of Atlanta and Chicago,” Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Shoemate said in a statement to the Herald. “Harken believes people in South Florida could benefit greatly from our innovative model, and we look forward to offering access to those services as part of future expansion.”

Harken’s parent company, UnitedHealth, already announced it would be pulling out of all but a few ACA exchanges in 2017. But even after UnitedHealth’s announcement, Harken appeared willing to dig in to existing exchanges by pushing forward with its integrated care model.

- read the Miami Herald article