BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A federal program designed to aid federally created health plans such as the Louisiana Health Cooperative Inc. instead became the final nail in the ailing nonprofit's coffin.

The Advocate reports Louisiana Health — taken over by state regulators on Sept. 1 — was one of 23 plans created nationally under the Affordable Care Act to ensure there would be competition among health insurers.

Altogether the co-ops received more than $2.4 billion in low-interest federal loans to get started. Only two have proven to be profitable amid restrictions that experts say have hampered the co-ops' development.

Louisiana Health had lost more than $28 million by the end of 2014, its first year of providing coverage, according to records filed with the state Department of Insurance. The risk-adjustment payment was a death blow.

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