Trending News Today: Aetna to Withdraw from All ACA Exchanges by 2018

Yesterday, Aetna announced plans to withdraw from all Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges in 2018, citing financial losses and marketplace uncertainty. The insurer had previously announced that they will no longer sell plans in Iowa and Virginia. After adding Delaware and Nebraska to that list, the insurer will no longer be selling any ACA plans, according to The Washington Post. Last year, Aetna lost $450 million in the exchanges, and the company expects to take a $200 million loss for 2017, the Post reported.

A panel of experts is now recommending against arthroscopic surgery for patients with degenerative knee problems, which is a very common orthopedic procedure for this population, according to Kaiser Health News. The new guideline is the result of a meta-analysis that suggests the surgery is unable to provide pain relief or improve knee function in patients over time. Instead, patients should be treated with physical therapy, exercise, or placebo surgery, according to the article.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services initially directed states to develop new ways to help Medicaid patients receive care without having them enter nursing homes by 2019. This week, the Trump administration has extended this deadline to 2022. Proponents of the extension believe that the additional time will allow states to take a slower approach to enact the changes, which may prevent financial losses, according to Kaiser Health News.