Although Trump Administration Has Fallen Short Of Scrapping Health Law, The Changes It Has Made Reshaped Marketplace
The cumulative effect of the Trump administration's rules could erode a core principle of the health law: ensuring that people can rely on their health insurance if they get sick, and to spread the costs of illness widely. The most recent change gives employers more flexibility to steer tax-exempt dollars to employees for health care.
Bloomberg:
A Trio Of Trump Rules Will Remake U.S. Health Insurance Markets
President Donald Trump’s attempt to transform American health insurance is almost complete. Twenty months ago, frustrated after attempts to repeal Obamacare fell apart in the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump pledged to use executive power to do what Congress failed to legislate. An executive order set in motion regulations to promote “health care choice and competition across the United States.” (Tozzi, 6/14)
In other health industry news —
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Staffing Agencies' Outlook Softens As Providers Control Costs
Healthcare providers' financial pressure has dampened the outlook of staffing firms, according to a new report. Staffing companies that serve hospitals—such as Envision, Team Health and Schumacher—are particularly vulnerable as emergency department volumes decline and health systems develop predictive tools to better measure demand, according to a new report from ratings agency Standard & Poor's. The agency maintained a stable outlook on the staffing industry, although it is a precarious one as providers try to find their financial footing. (Kacik, 6/14)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Breaches Reported In May Exposed Data On 2 Million People
Nearly 2 million people had data exposed in healthcare breaches reported to the federal government last month, more than double the number whose data was exposed in April-reported incidents. But May had fewer breaches reported than April, which marked the highest number of healthcare breaches reported in a single month since HHS' Office for Civil Rights began maintaining its database in 2010. (Cohen, 6/14)
