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UNDATED (AP) — One of the nation's biggest health insurers says it will not return to Ohio's public insurance exchanges next year, a decision that could open more holes in the Affordable Care Act's increasingly thin system for helping people buy coverage. Anthem's decision could leave shoppers in 20 counties without an option for buying individual coverage on the exchange, the only place where people can use an income-based tax credit to help cover the cost of coverage.
Senator Rob Portman issued a statement faulting skyrocketing premiums and deductibles. He calls it a problem not just in Ohio but across the country. Portman says that the move eliminates competition with no tools to push down potentially runaway healthcare costs.