Congressional Republicans Ask Administration To Reject Calif. Request On Immigrants’ Insurance
California is asking for a federal waiver so that the state's online insurance marketplace can sell policies to people who are in the country without proper authority. Also in the news, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., says after the presidential election, he would be happy to strike a deal with Democrats on the health law.
KQED:
California Congressional Republicans Urge Blocking Obamacare For Undocumented Immigrants
Several California congressional Republicans want the Obama administration to block the state’s request to sell health insurance to undocumented immigrants on the state’s exchange. The move comes after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill earlier this month authorizing California to formally request a waiver from the Affordable Care Act provision that bars undocumented immigrants from any of the law’s benefits. ... Nine of California’s 14 Republican representatives have signed a letter to cabinet officials appealing to them to deny this waiver. The representatives called California’s request “a brazen attempt to circumvent the will of Congress.” (Aliferis, 6/29)
Morning Consult:
California Reps Ask Feds To Reject Plan To Cover Illegal Immigrants
If California is granted such a waiver, it would be the first state granted the ability to offer insurance on its exchange to undocumented immigrants. Under the Affordable Care Act, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to purchase health insurance from states’ exchanges. ... The letter was signed by California Republicans Darrell Issa, Tom McClintock, Ken Calvert, Dana Rohrabacher, Duncan Hunter, Doug LaMalfa, Paul Cook, Ed Royce, and Mimi Walters. (McIntire, 6/29)
Politico:
Why Lamar Alexander Wants A Deal On Obamacare
Sen. Lamar Alexander says he's more than happy to strike deals with Democrats — even on Obamacare.
"Whoever the president is in January, we're going to have to take a good, hard look at Obamacare," the powerful chairman of the Senate HELP committee told POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast. "It can't continue the way it is." "I don't think Republicans can go another four years, whether we have a Republican president or not, and say just give us a couple more Republicans and we'll repeal Obamacare," he added. (Diamond, 6/29)
Politico Pro:
Burwell Tour To Tout Delivery-Reform Success
The Obama administration next month will highlight three of the country's best delivery system reform models in an attempt to show off how Obamacare has begun to transform the health care system in measurable ways. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will visit three health systems or programs that the administration says are delivering better or more efficient health care. The Obama administration earlier this year marked that 20 million Americans had gotten insurance coverage through the health law — addressing the key problem of access to insurance. (Haberkorn, 6/29)
The CT Mirror:
State Health Exchange Considers New Transition Fairs, Adds Hours
One week after the first pair of transition enrollment fairs drew just one attendee, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange announced Wednesday it plans to keep future fairs open for an additional hour and will consider scheduling new ones. The decision, which was announced by Access Health CT in an email Wednesday morning, comes after nobody attended its first fair in Danbury last Wednesday and only one person attended the second fair in Waterbury on Thursday. As many as 14,000 low-income parents will lose their state-sponsored Medicaid health insurance coverage after July. (Constable, 6/29)
