Bugs In Healthcare.gov Upgrades Still Being Fixed; Some Features May Be Delayed
With open enrollment two weeks away, federal officials race to finalize improvements to the government's health insurance website. Meanwhile, many employers are reporting that few of their low-income employees are taking advantage of offered health insurance, due primarily to cost.
The New York Times:
Tests Of New Features On Healthcare.gov Go To The Wire
With the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment period to begin in less than two weeks, federal officials are racing to fix new features of HealthCare.gov that are supposed to make it easy for consumers to find insurance plans that cover their doctors and prescription drugs. (Pear, 10/19)
The Associated Press:
Potential Delay On Some Upgrades To Gov't Insurance Website
With sign-up season starting in less than two weeks, the Obama administration indicated on Monday that some long-awaited upgrades to the government's health insurance website could take more time before they're customer-ready. At issue is a new doctor look-up tool for HealthCare.gov, as well as another feature that would allow consumers to find out whether a particular health plan covers their prescription drugs. Up to now, digging out that information has required additional steps. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/20)
The New York Times:
Many Low-Income Workers Say ‘No’ To Health Insurance
When Billy Sewell began offering health insurance this year to 600 service workers at the Golden Corral restaurants that he owns, he wondered nervously how many would buy it. Adding hundreds of employees to his plan would cost him more than $1 million — a hit he wasn’t sure his low-margin business could afford. His actual costs, though, turned out to be far smaller than he had feared. So far, only two people have signed up. (Cowley, 10/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Luxury Health Benefits For Top Corporate Bosses On The Wane
For years executives at Brocade Communications Systems Inc. were treated to a full day of physical exams and assessments in the high-end, spa-like setting of Stanford University’s executive medicine program at a cost of several thousands of dollars per executive. But the firm ended the perk in 2013, in an effort to eliminate inequalities in its employee benefits package and avoid taxes and penalties associated with the Affordable Care Act. (Chasan, 10/19)
More health law headlines come from Maryland, Kansas and Kentucky -
The Baltimore Sun:
Health Exchange Looks To Enroll 150,000 In Private Plans In 2016
The state's online marketplace for the uninsured estimates 150,000 will enroll in private health plans in 2016, up from 115,000 this year, though the marketing budget is down and it might be a tougher sell. "It's a semi-aggressive number, but it's what we're shooting for," said Andrew Ratner, the exchange's director of marketing and strategic initiatives, during the last exchange board meeting before open enrollment, which runs from Nov.1 to Jan. 31. (Cohn, 10/19)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
Health Insurer Withdraws From Kansas Marketplace
A major provider of health insurance in Kansas is pulling out of the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Two companies under the Aetna corporate umbrella — Coventry Health & Life Insurance Co. and Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc. — are withdrawing from the marketplace just two weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the next open enrollment period. Coventry merged with Aetna in 2013. (McLean, 10/19)
The Associated Press:
More Than 16,000 Children Got Health Insurance After New Law
An analysis of health insurance data shows more than 16,000 Kentucky children obtained health insurance during the first year of the Affordable Care Act. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the State Health Access Data Assistance Center say the Kentucky's uninsured rate among children dropped 4.3 percent during the first year of the federal Affordable Care Act. Their analysis revealed more than 10 percent of the private insurance plans purchased on the state health exchange were for children. (10/19)
