Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Double-Edged Sword: Suit Seeks To Undercut ACA But Also Hurts GOP Candidates On Preexisting Conditions
Politico: GOP’s Midterm Peril: What If They Win On Killing Obamacare?
Republican candidates are trying to have it both ways on Obamacare. On one hand, Republicans are still campaigning against the law, arguing a strong election result will allow them one more shot at repealing the Affordable Care Act with GOP majorities in both chambers. And many high-profile Senate GOP candidates support a lawsuit that would scuttle Obamacare if successful in the nation’s courts, a case that will be heard by a federal judge in September. Yet at the same time Republicans are still touting the law’s most popular provisions, arguing that after it is struck down they will be able to preserve protections for pre-existing conditions by passing a new bill. (Everett, 8/17)
Stateline: Health Insurance Premiums Are Stabilizing, Despite GOP Attacks
Despite Republican efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, insurance premiums will go up only slightly in most states where carriers have submitted proposed prices for next year. And insurance carriers are entering markets rather than fleeing them. The improvements stem from less political uncertainty over health policy, steeper than necessary increases this year, better understanding of the markets, improvements in care and a host of actions taken by individual states. (Ollove, 8/16)
Boston Globe: Health Insurance Rates To Increase 4.2 Percent Next Year
Health insurance rates will rise an average of 4.2 percent next year for individuals and small businesses buying coverage in Massachusetts, state officials said Thursday. The price increase is relatively modest compared with the beginning of 2018, when rates climbed an average of 16.8 percent after the White House followed through on a threat to pull federal payments that subsidize insurance coverage. (Dayal McCluskey, 8/16)
POLITICO Pro: Trump Readies New Round Of Controversial Medicaid Changes
The Trump administration is preparing to let conservative-led states impose additional restrictions on the nation’s health program for the poor that could push tens of thousands of people off coverage, POLITICO has learned. The high-stakes changes, involving work requirements and questions about illegal drug use, have been the subject of intense behind-the-scenes lobbying in recent months by federal and state lawmakers in the latest chapter of the GOP’s long-running efforts to reshape Medicaid — a policy priority extending back to the Reagan era. (Diamond, 8/16)
