Governor Suggests Rebate Plan As Minn.’s Exchange Crisis Fans Political Tensions

Pioneer Press: Dayton Offers Rebate Plan For MN Health Insurance Costs
Just one day after Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said Dayton was “literally playing politics” over health care, Dayton said Republicans “are now trying to maximize their political advantages” by attacking the Affordable Care Act. The battle matters given the current divided control of the Legislature. Even if one party takes both chambers in the Nov. 8 election, the current body of lawmakers will remain in office for the remainder of the year — and all sides agree a solution can’t wait until January. (Montgomery, 10/27)

Politico Pro: Minnesota Governor Proposes 25 Percent Rebate To Cushion Rate Hikes 
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is proposing that the state fund a 25 percent rebate to blunt rate hikes for Obamacare customers who don't qualify for federal premium subsidies. Roughly 123,000 Minnesotans who are expected to purchase individual market coverage next year would qualify for the state assistance, according to a new fact sheet outlining the governor’s proposal. The rebate program would reduce average rate increases in Minnesota from 55 percent to 16 percent, Dayton's office said. (Pradhan, 10/27)

The Associated Press: Maryland Among Fairly Robust States In Health Reform Choices
Maryland consumers next year will have more choices than consumers in many other states in health insurance markets created by President Barack Obama’s 2014 health care overhaul, an analysis for The Associated Press shows. The county-by-county analysis by Avalere Health, a consulting and data-crunching company that has tracked the Affordable Care Act commonly known as Obamacare since its start, finds Maryland among nine states that will have three or more participating insurers in its counties. (Witte, 10/28)

The CT Mirror: As ACA Faces New Challenges, Fixes Not Assured
The Affordable Care Act is facing more challenges than at any time since its glitch-riddled initial enrollment period in 2013, and political prospects for returning it to better health are cloudy. Open enrollment will begin on Nov. 1, but many of those signing up will face higher premiums and fewer choices of plans and insurers. Those problems have re-energized GOP opposition to the ACA, creating a politically fraught climate in which to address the health care law’s challenges. In Connecticut, premium rate hikes for people buying insurance on the ACA’s exchange, Access Health CT, will rise nearly 25 percent on average. (Radelat, 10/28)

The Hour: As Open Enrollment Arrives For Health Insurance, Connecticut Rates All Over The Map 
As open enrollment season arrives for the large majority of Connecticut residents, many — though not all — will be presented with a menu of unappealing choices from their employers or health insurance carriers, in the form of escalating rates and deductibles or dwindling choices for health services. How large those changes will be depends to a large degree on the individual and they plan in which they are enrolled. As of Thursday, the Connecticut Insurance Department has approved health premium rate increases averaging out at 24.8 percent for individual plans and 12 percent for small group plans. (Soule, 10/27)

California Healthline: Reduce Your Obamacare Sticker Shock
The past few weeks have been scary ones for consumers with Obamacare health plans. As if open enrollment weren’t stressful enough, they’ve also been bombarded with headlines about 2017 rate hikes of 25 percent, 50 percent or even more. But there’s some hope for Californians. Our rate increases, while high by our standards, are generally lower than in other states. And if you’re willing to be flexible, most of you can limit your premium increases to no more than 5 percent. (Bazar, 10/28)

Meanwhile, a new report looks at the number of uninsured children under the health law —

Texas Tribune: Texas Continues To Struggle With Large Number Of Uninsured Children
Even as the share of children in Texas without health insurance continues to decline, the state still has nearly twice the national average, according to a new study. A Georgetown University Center for Children and Families report released Thursday found that Texas still ranks second-worst in the nation for uninsured children, even though the rate of Texas kids without insurance decreased from 16.6 percent in 2009 to 9.5 percent in 2015. The national average was 4.8 percent in 2015. Researchers, working from U.S. Census data, found almost one in five uninsured children in the United States live in Texas — 682,000 as of 2014. Only Alaska ranked worse. (Evans, 10/28)

Columbus Dispatch: Medicaid Expansion Credited For Getting A Record Number Of Kids Insurance In Ohio 
More than 95 percent of Ohio children have health coverage as the uninsured rate fell to historic lows in the wake of Obamacare. A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families credits Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act for the decline in uninsured children. In Ohio, 26,000 children gained coverage between 2013 and 2015, the analysis showed, leaving an estimated 115,000 younger than 19 without health insurance. The state’s rate of uninsured children during that time fell to 4.4 percent, down from 5.3 percent, and just under the national average. (Candisky, 10/28)