Anthem still considering presence in some Obamacare markets: CEO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anthem Inc (NYSE: ANTM), which has trimmed the number of states and counties in which it will sell individual Obamacare plans in 2018, said on Tuesday it is still working with some state regulators on its market participation for next year.

Anthem and other insurers have a deadline of Sept. 27 to finalize their 2018 role in the individual insurance program created as part of former President Barack Obama's national healthcare law, often called Obamacare. Anthem is the No. 2 U.S. health insurer.

Anthem Chief Executive Officer Joseph Swedish said during a Morgan Stanley investor conference that the company has been repositioning itself in states with an eye to re-entering when appropriate if Congress and the White House stabilize the individual markets.

Anthem shares were down 3.2 percent at $189.75 late on Tuesday morning.

Insurers want Congress to eliminate the industrywide health insurance tax on premiums of about 3 percent and for it and the Trump administration to commit to paying monthly Obamacare subsidies that help make the plans affordable.

(Reporting by Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

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