Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Administration Is Coy About Whether It Will Partner With Advocates For Enrollment Push
CNBC: Trump Administration Could Zap Obamacare Enrollment By Dropping Outreach Deals
The Trump administration refused Monday to commit to partnering with outside groups to promote enrollment in Obamacare health plans, potentially reversing four years of those cooperative efforts. The administration's stance, coupled with its similar refusal to commit to key Obamacare subsidies to insurers through next year, could result in fewer people signing up for health coverage in the individual insurance plans for 2018 after open enrollment starts in November. (Mangan, 8/14)
Denver Post: Colorado Group Pushes Back Against Proposed Health Insurance Premium Increases
A Colorado health care advocacy group has asked state regulators to restrain proposed 2018 health insurance premium increases, saying the higher rates are not justified. In a letter, leaders of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative urged state Commissioner of Insurance Marguerite Salazar to push insurers to accept lower premium increases in the individual market, where people buy health insurance on their own. The group said the proposed increases — an average of 27 percent across all insurers and the entire state — are too high based on cost trends in the state. It also argued that insurers provided contradictory information in asking for the high increases. (Ingold, 8/14)
Reuters: Big-Name U.S. Hedge Funds Shed Healthcare Stocks During The Rally In Second-Quarter
Several big-name hedge fund investors trimmed their stakes in healthcare companies in the second quarter as the sector led the broad U.S. stock market higher, rallying amid a Republican effort to repeal and replace President Obama's signature healthcare law. ... Healthcare stocks have underperformed since the current quarter began on July 1, dipping 0.5 percent compared with a 1.9 percent gain by the broad S&P 500, suggesting that the move by hedge fund managers could signal the end of the rally. (Randall and Hunnicutt, 8/14)
NPR: Trump Administration Extends Deadline For Insurers To Decide On Obamacare Markets
The extension comes as insurance companies wait for President Trump to decide whether he will continue to make payments to insurance companies that are called for under the Affordable Care Act but that some Republicans have opposed. The payments — known as cost-sharing reduction payments — reimburse insurance companies for discounts on copayments and deductibles that they're required by law to offer to low-income customers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the payments this year would be about $7 billion. (Kodjak, 8/14)
