Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Midterms Inch Closer, Republican Lawmakers Start To Take Softer Stance On Health Law
The Wall Street Journal: Republican Foes Of Health Law Try A Patch Job Ahead Of Midterms
Republicans opposed to the Affordable Care Act are showing interest in proposals to shore up the health law and lower premiums, driven partly by their concerns that any big jump in insurance costs may hurt them in the midterm elections. State and federal GOP lawmakers are backing or considering reinsurance proposals that aim to curb premiums by offsetting insurers’ costlier claims. That stance is a reversal from last year, when Republicans almost uniformly opposed measures to aid the health law they tried to repeal. (Armour, 2/15)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Reports That Repeal Of Mandate Penalty Will Lead To Spike In Uninsured
The Trump administration is projecting that nearly 8 million people will voluntarily lose insurance in the next eight years as a result of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act's financial penalty for not having health insurance. In all, 37.7 million people will be uninsured by 2026, up from the estimated 30 million in 2018, according to an analysis CMS actuaries released Wednesday. (Dickson, 2/14)