Fifteen of the health insurance cooperatives started with federal dollars through the Affordable Care Act have failed — four of them just this month — saddling taxpayers with an estimated $1.7 billion in bad loans.

Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative is one of seven still standing.

But the next few months will determine whether Common Ground, which insures about 20,000 in 19 counties in eastern Wisconsin, manages to survive.

“I’m confident we’ll make it through this year,” said Cathy Mahaffey, its chief executive officer since 2014.

Beyond that, though, Common Ground faces an uncertain future.

The cooperative has lost $84.8 million from its inception in 2012 through the end of last year and owes the federal government $107.7 million.

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