Almost a third of all counties in the United States have one insurer in the marketplace for people buying individual coverage for 2017. Last year, just 7 percent had one insurer, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Twenty percent of Obamacare consumers will choose 2017 plans in counties served by a single insurer, according to the government. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)
But there's a surprising bottom line: Although prices are going up in almost all areas, they're not significantly higher than they are for people living in areas served by multiple insurers, according to data reviewed by consulting firm Avalere Health.
