Aetna to Exit Individual Market - AGAIN - in 2026

Aetna will exit the individual markets in 2026, less than five years after making a return to this space, leaving 1 million people in 17 states in the US without health coverage next year.

The insurer's parent company, CVS Health, released its first-quarter earnings report Thursday morning, in which it noted that Aetna would withdraw from the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) exchanges where it independently operates plans in a move that aligns with plans to improve business performance.

"This decision is consistent with others taken this year to focus the company's portfolio," according to the filing. "The company is best able to serve members through its other health benefit solutions, which offer access to quality care, affordable health benefits and exceptional service."

Aetna's history with the exchanges could be at best described as mixed. It was one of a number of plans that exited the space in 2018 amid massive losses in the early days of the market.