Are you one of the 1 million? This drugstore announces massive coverage cuts that could leave patients stranded
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If you rely on CVS or Aetna for your health coverage, it’s time to pay close attention.
In a move that’s sending shockwaves through the healthcare world, CVS Health has announced it will exit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges in 2026.
This decision will force roughly one million Aetna customers across 17 states to find new health insurance—and it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes that could impact your access to care.
What’s Happening—and Why Now?
Roughly one million Americans will need to find new health insurance coverage as CVS Health plans to pull Aetna, its insurance subsidiary, out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in 2026.
This move adds to growing health access concerns in the U.S., already strained by rising drug prices and the expansion of “pharmacy deserts”—areas with limited access to pharmacies.
Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, was created to expand access to reasonably priced health insurance for individuals.
CVS Health, which owns Aetna, currently provides ACA-compliant plans through the healthcare marketplace. But starting in 2026, the company will no longer offer these plans in 17 states, leaving about one million current members without coverage from Aetna.
The company’s announcement on Thursday morning reflects strategic changes made by its newer executive leadership, who are attempting to manage ballooning costs within Aetna’s ACA offerings.
“The company decided to exit the individual exchange business where Aetna independently operates ACA plans for 2026,” CVS said in its official statement.
“This decision is consistent with others taken this year to focus the company’s portfolio. The company is best able to serve members through its other health benefit solutions, which offer access to quality care, affordable health benefits and exceptional service.
The company will continue delivering superior service and support to its individual exchange members through 2025 and residual activities in 2026.”
Also read: What happened at CVS? Company responds to customer concern following major misstep
Affected customers will need to shop for new coverage during the ACA’s open enrollment period in fall 2025, when insurance companies release their 2026 plans.
Although the decision affects a substantial number of people, Aetna’s ACA members represent only a small slice of CVS Health’s broader insured population—27.1 million as of March 31, 2025.
Despite industry-wide challenges like rising healthcare expenses, CVS has highlighted improvements in cost control strategies.
CVS Health’s operations include CVS Pharmacy—the country’s largest drugstore chain—as well as Caremark, a major pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). While its retail presence faces mounting difficulties, CVS is still seeing momentum in other areas.
Source: CNBC / Youtube.
The company reported nearly $1.8 billion in net income for Q1 2025, part of a turnaround plan involving new leadership and aggressive cost management.
“As we aim to be the most trusted health care company in America, we are driving greater care, value, and service from our integrated, industry-leading businesses,” said CEO David Joyner.
“Thanks to a resolute focus on customers, our colleagues across CVS Health delivered positive results across our health care benefits, health services and pharmacy and consumer wellness segments, as we continue to build a world of better health around the 185 million consumers we are privileged to serve.”
Arkansas Pharmacy Access Faces Disruption Amid Legal Conflict
While Aetna’s exit from the ACA market looms, residents in Arkansas are bracing for major disruptions in pharmacy services due to a new law targeting PBMs.
Arkansas' House Bill 1150 bans companies that run pharmacy benefit managers from owning retail pharmacy locations. CVS, which operates Caremark (a PBM) and CVS Pharmacy stores, falls squarely within this legal conflict.
To comply, CVS says it will be forced to shut down more than 20 stores in Arkansas starting January 1, 2026.
“We believe this is really bad policy, and it’s putting a lot of patients at risk,” said CEO Joyner during the company’s earnings call. “It’s taking the most competitive pharmacies out of the marketplace.”
He warned that the closures would result in significant access issues and higher healthcare costs for patients.
“There’s over 300,000 people that we currently serve with more than 4,000,000 prescriptions. So it’s going to create pharmacy deserts and access problems,” Joyner added.
“When you look at the most vulnerable population, which is the specialty population, there’s 10,000 patients that will be disrupted and or potentially have access to care issues.”
This wave of closures in Arkansas comes on top of the 900 CVS locations the company has already shuttered over the last three years. An additional 270 stores are scheduled to close by the end of 2025.
Public health experts have raised alarms that these closures—combined with upcoming pharmaceutical tariffs proposed under the Trump administration—could push drug prices even higher and exacerbate medicine shortages.
The growing number of pharmacy closures, especially in underserved communities, is fueling the rise of so-called “pharmacy deserts,” a concern Joyner directly addressed.
Which States Are Impacted?
If you live in any of the following 17 states, your Aetna ACA plan will be discontinued:
- Arizona
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
If you’re in one of these states and currently have an Aetna plan through the ACA marketplace, you’ll need to start planning now for the transition.
Don’t wait until the last minute—look into other insurers and plans available in your area.
Ask about your options for transferring prescriptions or finding new providers if your local pharmacy closes.
Many insurers and pharmacies offer home delivery for medications, which can be a lifeline if you live in a pharmacy desert.
Read next: Health insurers’ rates skyrocket for Medicare–what this means for your wallet!
Are you one of the million Aetna customers affected by the CVS decision? Has your local pharmacy closed recently? How are you coping with these changes? Share your story in the comments below!
In a move that’s sending shockwaves through the healthcare world, CVS Health has announced it will exit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges in 2026.
This decision will force roughly one million Aetna customers across 17 states to find new health insurance—and it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes that could impact your access to care.
What’s Happening—and Why Now?
Roughly one million Americans will need to find new health insurance coverage as CVS Health plans to pull Aetna, its insurance subsidiary, out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in 2026.
This move adds to growing health access concerns in the U.S., already strained by rising drug prices and the expansion of “pharmacy deserts”—areas with limited access to pharmacies.
Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, was created to expand access to reasonably priced health insurance for individuals.
CVS Health, which owns Aetna, currently provides ACA-compliant plans through the healthcare marketplace. But starting in 2026, the company will no longer offer these plans in 17 states, leaving about one million current members without coverage from Aetna.
One million Aetna members across 17 US states will lose health insurance coverage in 2026, as CVS Health (which owns Aetna) withdraws from offering Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) plans. Image source: Iris Yan / Unsplash.
The company’s announcement on Thursday morning reflects strategic changes made by its newer executive leadership, who are attempting to manage ballooning costs within Aetna’s ACA offerings.
“The company decided to exit the individual exchange business where Aetna independently operates ACA plans for 2026,” CVS said in its official statement.
“This decision is consistent with others taken this year to focus the company’s portfolio. The company is best able to serve members through its other health benefit solutions, which offer access to quality care, affordable health benefits and exceptional service.
The company will continue delivering superior service and support to its individual exchange members through 2025 and residual activities in 2026.”
Also read: What happened at CVS? Company responds to customer concern following major misstep
Affected customers will need to shop for new coverage during the ACA’s open enrollment period in fall 2025, when insurance companies release their 2026 plans.
Although the decision affects a substantial number of people, Aetna’s ACA members represent only a small slice of CVS Health’s broader insured population—27.1 million as of March 31, 2025.
Despite industry-wide challenges like rising healthcare expenses, CVS has highlighted improvements in cost control strategies.
CVS Health’s operations include CVS Pharmacy—the country’s largest drugstore chain—as well as Caremark, a major pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). While its retail presence faces mounting difficulties, CVS is still seeing momentum in other areas.
Source: CNBC / Youtube.
The company reported nearly $1.8 billion in net income for Q1 2025, part of a turnaround plan involving new leadership and aggressive cost management.
“As we aim to be the most trusted health care company in America, we are driving greater care, value, and service from our integrated, industry-leading businesses,” said CEO David Joyner.
“Thanks to a resolute focus on customers, our colleagues across CVS Health delivered positive results across our health care benefits, health services and pharmacy and consumer wellness segments, as we continue to build a world of better health around the 185 million consumers we are privileged to serve.”
Arkansas Pharmacy Access Faces Disruption Amid Legal Conflict
While Aetna’s exit from the ACA market looms, residents in Arkansas are bracing for major disruptions in pharmacy services due to a new law targeting PBMs.
Arkansas' House Bill 1150 bans companies that run pharmacy benefit managers from owning retail pharmacy locations. CVS, which operates Caremark (a PBM) and CVS Pharmacy stores, falls squarely within this legal conflict.
To comply, CVS says it will be forced to shut down more than 20 stores in Arkansas starting January 1, 2026.
“We believe this is really bad policy, and it’s putting a lot of patients at risk,” said CEO Joyner during the company’s earnings call. “It’s taking the most competitive pharmacies out of the marketplace.”
He warned that the closures would result in significant access issues and higher healthcare costs for patients.
CVS’s decision comes amid efforts to address rising healthcare costs and a shift in company focus to other health benefit solutions. Image source: Associated Press / Youtube.
“There’s over 300,000 people that we currently serve with more than 4,000,000 prescriptions. So it’s going to create pharmacy deserts and access problems,” Joyner added.
“When you look at the most vulnerable population, which is the specialty population, there’s 10,000 patients that will be disrupted and or potentially have access to care issues.”
This wave of closures in Arkansas comes on top of the 900 CVS locations the company has already shuttered over the last three years. An additional 270 stores are scheduled to close by the end of 2025.
Public health experts have raised alarms that these closures—combined with upcoming pharmaceutical tariffs proposed under the Trump administration—could push drug prices even higher and exacerbate medicine shortages.
The growing number of pharmacy closures, especially in underserved communities, is fueling the rise of so-called “pharmacy deserts,” a concern Joyner directly addressed.
Which States Are Impacted?
If you live in any of the following 17 states, your Aetna ACA plan will be discontinued:
- Arizona
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
If you’re in one of these states and currently have an Aetna plan through the ACA marketplace, you’ll need to start planning now for the transition.
Don’t wait until the last minute—look into other insurers and plans available in your area.
Ask about your options for transferring prescriptions or finding new providers if your local pharmacy closes.
Many insurers and pharmacies offer home delivery for medications, which can be a lifeline if you live in a pharmacy desert.
Read next: Health insurers’ rates skyrocket for Medicare–what this means for your wallet!
Are you one of the million Aetna customers affected by the CVS decision? Has your local pharmacy closed recently? How are you coping with these changes? Share your story in the comments below!
