Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DC Exchange Glitch Puts Some At Risk Of Temporarily Losing Insurance
The Washington Post: Glitch Leaves Hundreds In Limbo Seeking Insurance Through D.C. Health Exchange
As many as one in six D.C. residents who tried to sign up for health insurance through the city’s online exchange were thwarted by technology glitches ahead of a Monday sign-up deadline, D.C. officials acknowledged Tuesday. Some residents thought they had completed the application process to begin coverage in January only to receive error messages at the end. Others encountered a blank screen and couldn’t even get started. (Davis, 12/16)
The Baltimore Sun: Facing Deadline, Md. Health Exchange Enrolls More Than 100K
A day before the deadline to sign up on the Maryland exchange for health insurance that would start Jan. 1, thousands of residents risk losing their subsidies temporarily because they have not re-enrolled. Yet a month into this year's enrollment period, the exchange is running smoothly and already has signed up more than 100,000 new and returning customers, officials said Tuesday. Last year's rollout of the exchange was plagued by technological problems that made it difficult for people to sign up. (Cohn, 12/16)
The Chicago Sun-Times: Out-Of-Pocket Costs Rise In Some Chicago-Area Plans
Health insurance premiums may not be the only thing going up in 2015 under the Affordable Care Act. Out-of-pocket expenses are increasing under some plans available to Chicago-area consumers, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of federal government data found. Twenty percent of the 125 insurance plans available in Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will counties have higher out-of-pocket maximums in 2015 than in 2014. None of the plans decreased their maximum out-of-pocket limit. (Thomas, 12/16)
