Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid News Of Firms Fleeing From Exchanges, Largest Kansas Insurer Says It Will Stay
KCUR: Largest Kansas Health Insurer To Offer ACA Marketplace Plans In 2018
With a Monday deadline approaching, it isn’t clear whether all of the health insurance companies now participating in the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Kansas will continue in 2018. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state’s largest health insurer, has made a preliminary decision to continue and has filed initial paperwork with the Kansas Insurance Department, said Mary Beth Chambers, a company spokeswoman. (McLean, 5/12)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee's Insurance Chief Seeks Elusive Answers In Washington
Tennessee's top health insurance official is expressing frustration over what she describes as a lack of answers from Washington and the Trump administration, as the state braces for a new round of insurance rate filings. The future of a type of health insurance subsidy called cost-sharing reductions (CSR) is causing distress for insurers across the country, and Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak says she can't pinpoint the agency that will make the decision. (Fletcher, 5/12)
And Aetna's CEO says the debate over a single-payer system is needed —
Vox: Aetna CEO In Private Meeting: 'Single-Payer, I Think We Should Have That Debate'
The chief executive of one of the country’s largest health insurance companies says he is open to having a single-payer debate. “Single-payer, I think we should have that debate as a nation,” Aetna chief executive Mark Bertolini said Thursday. (Kliff, 5/12)
