“In a three-part series, Pauline Bartolone explores why rural northern Californians are facing new challenges with individual health insurance. When market rules took effect through the Affordable Care Act in 2014, major insurers in the area changed consumer benefits and vastly cut back on where they sell policies. The result, for many consumers in Northern California, has been fewer plan choices, restricted doctor access, and a lot of confusion about whether coverage will be there when they need it. This series shows that while California is touted as a success story for the federal health law, some consumers are still left, as one source says, “at the mercy of the [health insurance] market.”
