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The DeWitt office of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

(Mike Greenlar)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Obamacare has injected a big dose of competition into New York's individual health insurance market, according to a report released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The analysis by the health policy group provides a first glimpse at the shifts in the competitive landscape in New York and six other states that have released insurer-specific enrollment data.

The analysis shows New York's individual insurance market today is significantly more competitive today than it was in 2012 before the state created a health insurance exchange as part of Obamacare. It gauged competitiveness by looking at the market share of the largest insurer, the number of insurers with at least 5 percent market shares and how evenly market share is distributed across insurers.



New York's exchange market is the most competitive of the seven states analyzed.

Market shares of some of the biggest insurers offering individual health policies on the N.Y. health insurance exchange Wellpoint (Empire BlueCross BlueShield): 18 percent

Health Republic: 16 percent

Fidelis Care: 14 percent

Emblem Health: 12 percent

MVP Health Care: 10 percent

MetroPlus Health Plan: 11 percent

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield: 6 percent

United Health: 2 percent

Other insurers: 11 percent

Sixteen companies are offering individual health insurance policies through the exchange. Seven of them have market shares greater than 5 percent. Of the 16 companies participating in the exchange, 11 offered individual coverage in the state before Obamacare.

Wellpoint, which includes Empire BlueCross BlueShield, is New York's biggest player in the individual insurance market. It controlled 28 percent of the market in 2012. Its market share is now 18 percent.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the dominant insurer in Central New York, controlled 15 percent of the state's individual market in 2012. Its market share has declined to 6 percent.

UnitedHealth had a 20 percent market share in 2012. Its market share has dwindled to 2 percent, because its prices are relatively high compared to competitors, according to the report.

Health Republic, a new insurer started by the Freelancers Union that offers some of the lowest rates in the state, has captured 16 percent of the market.

Several smaller insurers have picked up market share. MVP Health Care, for example, has seen its market share grow to 10 percent, up from 2 percent before the advent of the health insurance exchange.

You can contact health writer James T. Mulder at jmulder@syracuse.com or (315) 470-2245. Follow him on Twitter @JamesTMulder