- Despite Doomsday Rhetoric, Obamacare Markets Are Stabilizing Politico by Paul Demko—"Obamacare is dead," President Donald Trump frequently declares. But reports of its demise appear to be premature. For the first time ever this year, insurers selling plans in Obamacare's markets appear to be on a path toward profitability. And despite the drumbeat of headlines about fleeing insurers, only about 25,000 Obamacare customers live in communities facing the prospect of having no insurer next year. Insurers in the Obamacare marketplaces spent 75 percent of premiums on medical claims in this year's first quarter, an indication the market is stabilizing and insurers are regaining profitability, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study released this week. By comparison, in the prior two years, insurers spent more than 85 percent of premiums on medical costs during the same period, which translated into huge losses.