Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Among Confusion And Premium Hikes, Insurers Scrambling To Shore Up Customer Base
The Wall Street Journal: Health Insurers Step Up Open Enrollment Push As Window To Sign Up Shrinks
With enrollment for 2018 Affordable Care Act health-insurance plans starting in just two weeks, insurers are bracing for a drop-off among consumers put off by higher rates, confusion about the law’s standing and a shorter window to choose coverage. Companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Florida Blue and Medica are rushing to shore up their customer base as the future of the 2010 health law continues to be debated on Capitol Hill, where two senators Tuesday announced a tentative deal aimed at bolstering the ACA marketplaces. The insurers are using advertising, letters, emails and other outreach techniques to reassure enrollees about their insurance options under the ACA in 2018. (Wilde Mathews, 10/18)
California Healthline: Questions Loom About Obamacare As Covered California’s Open Enrollment Nears
With open enrollment a little more than two weeks away, President Donald Trump took a one-two punch at the Affordable Care Act. Last week, Trump said he would stop paying key subsidies, known as cost-sharing reductions, which compensate insurers for providing discounts on deductibles and copays. He also signed an executive order aimed at loosening the rules for association health plans — organized by certain types of professional, trade or interest groups — and short-term medical insurance. (10/17)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: New Jersey Regulators Approve Affordable Care Act Rate Increases
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s largest health insurer, said Tuesday that state regulators had approved average rate increases of 24.3 percent on individual Affordable Care Act plans for next year. The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance also approved an average overall increase of 17.1 percent for competitor AmeriHealth New Jersey, a unit of Philadelphia’s Independence Blue Cross, AmeriHealth said. (Brubaker, 10/17)
Seattle Times: Insurance Rates Could Rise 9 To 27 Percent For Some ACA Customers, Washington State Officials Say
Tens of thousands of Washingtonians buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will pay higher rates unless Congress acts, the Washington state insurance commissioner said Tuesday. Commissioner Mike Kreidler said people purchasing a Silver Plan from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange will see rates rise between 9 percent to 27 percent, depending on the insurer, after President Donald Trump’s decision last week to end federal subsidy payments, which are called cost-share reductions, or CSRs. (Blethen, 10/17)
And in other news —
The Wall Street Journal: UnitedHealth Revenue Grows Despite ACA Exit
UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s core insurance and health-services businesses grew in its latest quarter, despite a dent in revenue caused by the company’s decision to pull out of most Affordable Care Act markets. The latest quarterly results from the nation’s largest health insurer come as the market is facing policy changes related to the ACA. President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order seeking to provide lower-cost plans in the individual insurance market, and he has said his administration will end payments to insurers that offset subsidies to low-income consumers. (Prang and Wilde Mathews, 10/17)
KCUR: UnitedHealth Group Says It Will Add 500 Jobs In Kansas
Officials with the UnitedHealth Group on Tuesday announced they would bring 500 jobs to Kansas. Around 150 of the positions will be at OptumRx's Overland Park facility at 6860 West 115th Street, where renovations have opened up a floor full of cubicles waiting to be filled. "We're very, very deeply committed to Kansas," said John Mahrt, OptumRx's chief operating officer. "Kansas is a fantastic place for our people to live and work." (Janovy, 10/17)
