Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Administration Proposes New Rules For Health Marketplaces To Help Insurers In 2018
The Associated Press: Last Chance? Obama Administration Proposes Health Law Fixes
In one of its last chances to tinker with the president's signature health care law, the Obama administration Monday proposed a series of fixes and adjustments for 2018, when the White House will have a new occupant. The changes are detailed in a highly technical draft regulation, nearly 300 pages long. Insurers and consumer advocates were trying to decipher its implications Monday evening. The proposal would update the health insurance marketplace's premium stabilization system to reflect concerns that insurers have raised. It also proposes changes to a current five-year ban on companies returning to the health law's markets after they have left. Some big name carriers have dramatically scaled back for 2017. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/29)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Proposals Would Alter ACA Marketplaces, Risk Adjustment In 2018
The CMS proposed rules Monday afternoon that would make several changes to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and refine the law's risk adjustment, heeding calls from the health insurance industry. The proposed rules, which normally are released in November, come after weeks of intense scrutiny and uncertainty about the viability of the new ACA insurance exchanges. Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealth Group, which have bigger footprints in the employer and Medicare Advantage markets, all have announced major retrenchments for the 2017 season, which begins Nov. 1. (Herman, 8/29)
The Hill: Administration Issues New Rules Aimed At Strengthening ObamaCare
The Obama administration on Monday announced new regulations intended to strengthen the health of the ObamaCare marketplaces and improve the experience for insurers. The range of technical tweaks announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday is the latest step in a range of actions the administration has taken this year to address some complaints by insurers. (Sullivan, 8/29)
Morning Consult: CMS Adds Prescription Drug Data To 2018 Risk Adjustment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday issued a proposed rule to govern how Obamacare exchanges will operate in 2018. The proposal would change Obamacare’s risk adjustment program to account for prescription drug data. Currently, the government determines which plans have sicker enrollees, and thus should receive assistance, based on claims data. (Owens, 8/29)
The Associated Press: McConnell: Obamacare 'Crashing;' Next President Must Fix It
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell predicted Monday that the federal health care overhaul championed by President Barack Obama is likely to undergo changes next year, regardless of who wins the White House and which party has the upper hand in Congress. The Kentucky Republican, who has long advocated repealing the Affordable Care Act, told a business audience in his hometown that the law "can't possibly go on like it is." He predicted the overhaul "will be revisited by the next president, whoever that is." (Schreiner, 8/29)
The Hill: GOP Senators Argue DOJ Pressured Aetna On ObamaCare
Two Republican senators are accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) of trying to pressure Aetna to participate in ObamaCare marketplaces through its review of the company’s proposed merger. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), both strong opponents of the health law, point to questions that the DOJ sent to Aetna on June 30 as part of the department’s anti-trust review of Aetna’s proposed merger with Humana. (Sullivan, 8/29)
And in state news —
Des Moines Register: Insurance Rate Hikes Approved For Thousands Of Iowans
More than 75,000 Iowans will see their insurance premiums rise next year. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart has approved rate increases sought by four companies who provide health insurance in the state, Gerhart's agency announced Monday. The increases include plans covered by Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the state's dominant health insurer. The rate increases vary from about 19 percent to 43 percent, depending on the carrier. (Patane, 8/29)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Emergency Room Visits Increased After Obamacare, Study Says
Hospital emergency department visits increased in Illinois after the Affordable Care Act took effect — the opposite of what many hoped would happen under the landmark health care law, according to a new study. ... Emergency visits in Illinois increased 5.7 percent, or by more than 14,000 visits a month on average, in 2014 and 2015 compared with 2011 through 2013, according to the study, published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal. (Schencker, 8/29)
