Analysis: Health Law Has Halted Decades-Long Expansion Of The Gap Between Haves And Have-Nots
The New York Times offers analysis of coverage gains under the Affordable Care Act. In other news, UnitedHealth has announced it will be pulling out of the Michigan exchange, an announcement that comes on the heels of its decision to withdraw from Georgia and Arkansas.
The New York Times:
Immigrants, The Poor And Minorities Gain Sharply Under Health Act
The first full year of the Affordable Care Act brought historic increases in coverage for low-wage workers and others who have long been left out of the health care system, a New York Times analysis has found. Immigrants of all backgrounds — including more than a million legal residents who are not citizens — had the sharpest rise in coverage rates. Hispanics, a coveted group of voters this election year, accounted for nearly a third of the increase in adults with insurance. That was the single largest share of any racial or ethnic group, far greater than their 17 percent share of the population. (Tavernise and Gebeloff, 4/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
UnitedHealth To Stop Offering Affordable Care Act Plans In Michigan In 2017
UnitedHealth Group Inc. will stop offering Affordable Care Act plans in Michigan in 2017, marking the third in a growing tally of states where the biggest U.S. insurer will withdraw from the health law’s marketplaces. Andrea Miller, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, said the insurer planned to pull out of the individual insurance market in the state. Regulators in Arkansas and Georgia earlier said UnitedHealth had informed them it would no longer sell the ACA plans in their states. (Wilde Mathews, 4/15)
Meanwhile, a look at where the remaining Republican presidential candidates stand on the health law and other issues —
McClatchy:
How GOP Presidential Candidates Compare On Health Care Issues
Six years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, “Obamacare,” the nation’s health care remains at the center of political debate. Here’s a look at how the three remaining Republican presidential candidates view Obamacare, the cost of prescription drugs, the role of Medicare and Medicaid in confronting the nation’s provision of medical services, and abortion. (Douglas and Recio, 4/17)