CMS Oversight Must Continue Because All Remaining Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans Were Not Profitable and May Not Be Viable and Sustainable 

Several of the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) that were operating at the beginning of 2016 are no longer viable or sustainable. Specifically, 5 of the 11 CO-OPs operating on January 1, 2016, had ceased or planned to cease operations by the end of the 2016 plan year, and each of the remaining 6 CO-OPs reported net losses and had drawn down nearly all available CO-OP loan amounts as of December 31, 2016. These six operational CO-OPs did not appear to be financially viable and sustainable based on the reported net income and available capital and surplus. When a CO-OP ceases operations during the plan year, health plan participants can be significantly affected.