Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Administration Unveils Plans For Push To Enroll Young Adults In Health Plans
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Insurance Push Targets Young Adults
The Obama administration will use targeted, digital messages and online networks such as Twitter in a sweeping campaign to get young adults to sign up for health insurance during the Affordable Care Act’s fall open enrollment, appealing to a group seen as critical to the law’s success. The administration, which announced the new push on Tuesday, is betting the aggressive campaign will resonate with uninsured consumers age 35 and under. (Armour, 9/27)
The Hill: White House Makes New Push For Young ObamaCare Signups
The Obama administration is announcing new steps to increase ObamaCare outreach to young adults as it seeks to improve the stability of the healthcare law by bringing in more youthful, generally healthy participants. Amid concerns from insurers about financial losses due to a sicker-than-expected pool of enrollees, the administration is stepping up its efforts ahead of the signup period for next year, which begins Nov. 1. (Sullivan, 9/27)
The Hill: House Passes Bill Exempting Some From ObamaCare Mandate
The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow people enrolled in failed health insurance "co-ops" to skip this year's penalty for not having coverage. The Republican-backed bill passed on a mostly party-line vote of 258-165. Sixteen Democrats broke with their party to support the measure. ... Democrats opposed the bill, arguing it is unnecessary. They pointed out that enrollees in co-op plans that fail in the middle of the year are provided a special sign-up period in order to find a new plan. Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) said the bill is “yet another attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act, plain and simple.” The White House threatened a veto on the bill, arguing that it would chip away at the individual mandate, a crucial component of the law that helps prevent people from waiting until they get sick to sign up for coverage. (Sullivan, 9/27)
The CT Mirror: With No Broker Fees, Will Obamacare Customers Get Enough Shopping Help?
Shopping for health insurance isn’t easy for most people, but for Branden Weaver, the stakes are especially high: His two young sons are on the autism spectrum, and he and his wife are determined to ensure they have a health plan that covers the practitioners who treat them. But the first time they tried signing up for coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange, Access Health CT, they ended up in Medicaid, which didn’t cover one of their older son’s providers. Weaver tried to sign his son up for a private insurance plan that did, but even with his information technology background, he found it difficult. So he turned to an insurance broker. (Levin Becker, 9/28)
The Tennessean: BCBST's Exit From 3 Obamacare Markets Sends Shock Waves
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee sent shock waves Monday across Tennessee with the company's decision to exit the Obamacare exchange in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, a move that highlights persistent volatility in the young health insurance marketplace. Three years into the Affordable Care Act exchange, the state’s largest insurer is grappling with hefty losses and ongoing uncertainty on the marketplace. BCBST is open to coming fully back into the market once uncertainties about policies and the membership wane. (Fletcher, 9/27)
The Des Moines Register: Wellmark Trims Broad-Network Health Insurance Options
Iowans looking to buy individual health insurance policies now have fewer options from the state’s largest carrier. Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield leaders said Tuesday that they no longer will sell standard, broad-network health policies, known as PPO plans, on the individual market in Iowa. The company will continue to sell plans that steer participants to specific hospital-and-clinic systems, such as the Mercy Health System or the University of Iowa system. It also will sell an HMO plan that has some restrictions on out-of-network care. (Leys, 9/27)
