Study: Health insurers consolidate market power

Meanwhile, Aetna mailed letters Tuesday to notify customers in Colorado that it will be exiting the individual market there.

MarketWatch: Few Players In Health Insurance Markets
Health insurers are consolidating their market power throughout the nation as nearly two-thirds of U.S. cities are dominated by two carriers and nearly half of all metro areas are controlled by one, a study released Tuesday finds (Britt, 2/1).

Denver Post: Aetna Pulling Out Of Individual Health Insurance Market In Colorado
Aetna, which covers 22,000 individuals in Colorado, was to mail letters Tuesday notifying customers of the change, the letter said. The company will end coverage under existing individual health policies and will no longer have any individual health policies as of Aug. 1, 2012 (Jackson and Booth, 2/2).

CQ HealthBeat: Aetna Withdrawal From Individual Market in Colorado: First of Many?
Shortly after the health care law passed, every exit from a health insurance market was attributed to the effects of the measure — even though companies come and go from such markets all the time. So is Aetna's decision to stop selling individual policies in Colorado beginning Tuesday something routine? Or is it the start of an exodus attributable to the growing number of regulations issued under the law? (Reichard, 2/1).