Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Trump Health Initiative Gives Small Businesses, Workers More Control Over Health Care Dollars
The Washington Post: Trump Could Revolutionize The Private Health Insurance Market
For decades, economists and health-care experts have warned about flawed incentives and rising costs in America’s system for employer-sponsored health insurance. That system, through which more than 150 million Americans get their coverage, has proved difficult to reform — until now. Last week, the White House finalized a rule that allows employers to fund health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) that can be used by workers to buy their own coverage on the individual market. This subtle, technical tweak has the potential to revolutionize the private health insurance market. (Avik Roy, 6/17)
Boston Globe: Time To Take The ‘Surprise’ Out Of Health Care Bills
It’s not just that surprise billing is a giant pain for consumers — usually requiring calls and letters to providers, insurers, and, when all else fails, to the attorney general’s office — it’s that ultimately someone has to pay what amounts to enormously inflated costs. And those costs send health care premiums for employers and most consumers soaring. (6/17)
The Washington Post: Trump Actually Wants To Make The Election About Health Care. Good Luck With That.
Back when he was a mere real estate developer, Donald Trump understood the power of claiming that something spectacular exists even when it doesn’t, which is why he added 10 imaginary floors to Trump Tower so he could say it was 68 stories high instead of its actual 58. Although most of us would call that “lying,” it can be an effective strategy so long as people don’t check, or if they find out the truth but don’t really care. (Paul Waldman, 6/17)
