45 and counting…

Next year, about 35,000 people buying insurance in Affordable Care Act marketplaces in 45 counties could have no carriers to choose from. 

This would be the first time that has happened since the marketplaces were opened in 2014.

The estimate is based on a New York Times analysis that also found that about 3 million people in 1,388 counties could have just one insurer available to them.  

Most people who buy insurance in the Obamacare marketplaces receive federal subsidies to offset the cost of premiums. In places without any insurers, customers may not have affordable options.

Typically, markets with fewer insurers have also seen larger increases in prices, according to research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.