Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS Counters Attacks That Health Law Insurance Costs Are Too High For Consumers
NPR: HHS Report Says Obamacare Plans Are Cheaper Than They Look
Obamacare health plans have been getting a bad rap this year. Critics say the premiums are too high, the out-of-pocket costs are out of control, and the requirements and red tape are too thick. But now the Obama administration is pushing back. A study released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services argues that the cost-sharing isn't nearly as heavy as previous analyses have shown, because most consumers get subsidies that limit their deductibles and copayments. (Kodjak, 7/12)
Morning Consult: Obamacare Deductibles Have Decreased Thanks To Government Aid
The median deductible for an Obamacare exchange plan has decreased $50 from last year to $850, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Tuesday. The relatively modest deductibles for people who bought insurance on the exchanges is attributable to government financial assistance, a flashpoint for Republicans. (Owens, 7/12)
The Hill: Administration Defends Affordability Of ObamaCare Plans
Officials said that finding is a counterweight to anecdotal reports of people who have coverage, but struggle to afford to pay thousands of dollars in a deductible before their insurance kicks in. Pointing to high deductibles has been a leading Republican line of attack on the law. For example, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) last month said that ObamaCare enrollees are often “left with deductibles and copays so high that they can’t actually use the insurance.” The administration points out that about 60 percent of ObamaCare enrollees receive a form of financial assistance called a “cost-sharing reduction” that lowers the out of pocket costs they have to pay. (Sullivan, 7/12)
The Associated Press: Illinois Moves To Shut Down Failing Health Insurance Co-Op
An Illinois health insurance co-op with 49,000 policyholders in the state has become the latest casualty among a dwindling group of nonprofit alternative insurers set up under the Affordable Care Act. Illinois regulators took steps Tuesday to shut down Land of Lincoln Health, a 3-year-old startup that lost $90 million in 2015 and more than $17 million through May 31. (Johnson, 7/12)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Seeks To Shut Down State Obamacare Insurer
Illinois moved Tuesday to take control of Land of Lincoln Health to begin an orderly shutdown of the insurance company, meaning about 49,000 people will lose their health coverage in the coming months. The state said it will allow policyholders to buy coverage from a different insurer before their Land of Lincoln plans are terminated, but it's unclear when the policies will lapse. ... The Department of Insurance said the decision was based on the startup company's deteriorating financial condition. Land of Lincoln is required to pay $31.8 million to other insurers under a complex formula in the Affordable Care Act, which aims to keep premiums stable by balancing risks among insurers. (Sachdev, 7/12)
In other news, HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell talks about the health law's next steps and a look at how Obamacare hasn't been able to fix the problems with the mental health system in the U.S. —
Politico: Q&A: Sylvia Mathews Burwell On 6 More Months Of Health Care Fixes
Last summer, when the Supreme Court ruled on a major challenge to President Barack Obama’s marquee health care law, the name on the court case wasn’t Obama’s. The case was called King v. Burwell, and front and center — as she is in all attacks on Obamacare — was Sylvia Mathews Burwell. As HHS secretary, Burwell has become the most public face of Obamacare, its chief defender and the person driving the president’s final push for a health care legacy. With only six months left in the president’s term, Obama wants to use his remaining time in office to make medicine more efficient and less expensive, and Burwell is the point person to get that done. (Haberkorn, 7/13)
Politico: Obamacare And Mental Health: An Unfinished Story
America’s mental health system is having a breakdown. Suicide rates are at a record high; drug addiction is epidemic. There aren’t enough therapists, particularly not enough who accept insurance. And too often the most vulnerable and severely ill end up on the streets, or fill our prisons and jails. The Affordable Care Act was never meant to mend every crack in the system. It did zero in on the insurance side of reform — but there’s still a lot of heartbreak. (Ehley, 7/13)
