Regence BlueShield, one of the state's largest health insurers, will no longer offer child-only individual plans, a move that state insurance officials fear may trigger other insurers to drop similar policies.
The Regence decision comes as regulations contained in the new federal health-care overhaul prohibit insurers from refusing coverage to children with pre-existing medical conditions.
Regence, in a statement, said the move affects only new policies and it is not dropping the 2,500 children it now insures under such policies.
Another large insurer, Premera Blue Cross, with about 1,400 child-only policies in the state, said in a statement it would continue selling such policies "for now" and wanted to continue to do so.