Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Americans Grappling With Confusion As Enrollment Season Nears
The Associated Press: Uncertainty Reigns Ahead Of New Health Care Sign-Up Period
Jason Sanford has heard so many rumors about the changing health care landscape that every few weeks he dials a local information desk, seeking just a rough estimate of what his diabetes medication will soon cost him. The answer is the same every time: It's too early to say, even with the next open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act beginning in two weeks. (10/18)
Iowa Public Radio: Two Weeks Before Health Care Sign-Up, Iowans Don't Know What To Expect
It’s less than two weeks until people have to start signing up for next year’s health insurance plans, and Iowans who buy their own insurance through the Affordable Care Act don’t know what to expect. They don’t know what system they will use to buy insurance, what plans will be available to them, or how much they will have to pay. (Sostaraic, 10/19)
Health News Florida: Their Only Option: Free Clinics Hear Confusion Ahead Of Obamacare Enrollment
Open enrollment in the Obamacare marketplace begins in less than two weeks but this year some consumers think the law is already dead. From threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act, to news about rising premiums and President Donald Trump's recent decision to do away with some subsidies, people who don't closely follow the issue are getting lost in the headlines and sound bites. (Ochoa, 10/19)
NPR: When States Asked For Insurance Waivers, They Didn't Like The Answers
It was the Friday before a Monday deadline, and federal health officials in Washington, D.C. were working feverishly with their counterparts in Oklahoma to finalize the details of a new state reinsurance program. Emails flew between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington and Oklahoma's Department of Health. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the only ACA insurer in the state, was on board. Everything had to be done by Monday, Sept. 25, so the insurance company could set new, presumably lower, health insurance rates for 2018. (Kodjak, 10/19)
In other marketplace news —
Georgia Health News: More Insured People Stuck With Inadequate Coverage, Report Finds
A report released Wednesday indicates that more Americans with health insurance are not able to keep up with those out-of-pocket costs. The Commonwealth Fund report said that last year, 28 percent of U.S. adults who were insured all year were “underinsured” — an estimated 41 million people. (Miller, 10/18)
