Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Confusion, Worry Plague States As They Try To Navigate Federal Rule On Association Health Plans
Modern Healthcare: States Draw Sharp Limits On Association Health Plans
State insurance regulators have expressed confusion and worry over the Trump administration's new rule expanding association health plans, with some issuing emergency rules and guidances limiting the operation of such plans. They also are upset that the U.S. Labor Department abruptly discontinued its weekly conference calls with them to discuss how to harmonize the federal AHP rule with state laws after 12 Democratic attorneys general sued the federal government on July 26 to block the rule. (Meyer, 8/7)
The Hill: Top Dem Wants Information About ObamaCare Website Removals
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may have violated federal law by removing a web page that provided information about how Medicare coverage is affected by ObamaCare, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said Tuesday. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, Cummings asked HHS to provide documentation about any decisions to remove information from websites it maintains. (Weixel, 8/7)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Proposed Health Insurance Rates Settle Down In N.H.
Following last year’s large leap, health insurance rates seem likely to decline a bit in New Hampshire next year, at least partly a reflection in changes being made to the Medicaid expansion program. Information on proposed rates through the health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, indicate that a middle-of-the-road plan under the Affordable Care Act would average 6.75 percent less next year than the current rate, declining to $470 a month from the current $504. Actual rates for all plans won’t be available until Nov. 1, the first day of open enrollment on the exchange. (Brooks, 8/7)
The CT Mirror: Blumenthal Urges Wade To Ban Or Restrict Short-Term Health Plans
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has called on Connecticut’s insurance commissioner to ban or restrict short-term health insurance plans, as other states have. The Trump administration recently released new rules that would allow the sale of cheaper, skimpier health care plans that were originally intended for short-term use — not more than three months — but would now be available for nearly 12 months at a time. (Rigg, 8/7)
