Trump Supports Bipartisan Bill To Stabilize Marketplaces, Sen. Alexander Says
Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have been working on legislation that would fund insurer subsidies for the next two years. The bill has only made progress in fits and starts, as Republicans chipped away at the health law last year. Also in the news: the Affordable Care Act in court again.
The Hill:
Alexander, Trump Discussed ObamaCare Fix In Nashville
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) says he spoke to President Trump on Monday about a bipartisan bill aimed at stabilizing ObamaCare markets and that Trump again expressed his support for the measure. Alexander told reporters Tuesday that Trump asked about the bill when the two appeared together at an event in Tennessee on Monday. Alexander said he told the president he would get back to him after meeting with Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) this week. (Sullivan, 1/9)
The Hill:
ObamaCare Repeal Fades From GOP Priorities List In New Year
The chances of repealing ObamaCare this year are fading further, with top Republicans saying they hardly discussed repeal of the law during a Camp David retreat last weekend focused on their 2018 agenda. Meanwhile, Republicans say talk of welfare or entitlement reform this year is also narrowing down to an emphasis on things like job training, not the broad overhaul of Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlements that Democrats have warned against. (Sullivan, 1/10)
The Hill:
Trump Admin To Settle $3M In Legal Fees Over Obama-Era Contraception Mandate: Report
The Trump administration has agreed to pay $3 million to settle lawsuits filed against the Affordable Care Act's mandate for contraception coverage, BuzzFeed News reported on Tuesday. The amount went to the law firm Jones Day, which represented dozens of groups that sued the Obama administration over the mandate, according to BuzzFeed. (Delk, 1/9)
Politico Pro:
Court Will Weigh Disputed Obamacare Payments For Insurers
Dozens of insurers have sued the federal government to recoup hefty payments from a temporary program designed to protect them from huge losses in the early years of the Obamacare markets. But budgetary constraints Republican lawmakers imposed on the program, known as risk corridors, have led to a $12.3 billion shortfall, causing some insurers to hike premiums, abandon the marketplaces or even shut down. (Demko, 1/9)
And in the states —
The Hill:
Maryland State Lawmakers Propose Replacement For Repealed ObamaCare Mandate
State lawmakers in Maryland are looking to replace ObamaCare's individual mandate, which was repealed by Republicans in Congress last month. A proposal in Maryland would require people to pay a penalty for not having insurance. The money, though, could be used as a down payment for a health insurance plan. (Hellmann, 1/9)
The Baltimore Sun:
Advocates Push New State-Level Insurance Mandate
Maryland lawmakers, worried about skyrocketing insurance premiums, have proposed creating a state-level individual mandate — and using fines levied on the uninsured to help put more people on the insurance rolls. Last month, congressional Republicans repealed the federal individual mandate at the heart of the Affordable Care Act. Now that it’s going away, a coalition of Democratic state lawmakers say the best solution is to have the uninsured pay Maryland a fine that would be used as a “down payment” on health insurance coverage on the state’s exchange. (Cox, 1/9)
Tampa Bay Times:
Obamacare Enrollment Remained Strong In Florida, Despite Obstacles
While health insurance sign-ups through the Affordable Care Act dipped slightly across the nation for 2018, Floridians bought plans at nearly the same levels as last year despite a much shorter enrollment period, a smaller budget for promotion and repeated efforts to kill the program. Florida led all states with 1.75 million people signing up for Obamacare plans during the Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 open enrollment period. (Griffin, 1/10)
Denver Post:
Have You Signed Up For Health Insurance Yet? Friday Is The Deadline
Colorado’s health insurance exchange, where people shop to buy health plans on their own, is on pace for record enrollment. Through Monday, more than 158,000 people have selected a plan on Connect for Health Colorado. That is 2 percent above last year’s figures at the same time, according to the exchange. And it puts the exchange in position possibly to break last year’s all-time high of nearly 176,000 plan selections. Friday is the deadline to sign up for a plan on Connect for Health Colorado or through an independent broker in order to have coverage in 2018. (Ingold, 1/9)
