Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drop-Out Rate For Those Covered By Health Law Slightly Higher Than Predicted
The Associated Press: About 1.6M Drop-Outs From Health Law Coverage This Year
About 1.6 million people who signed up for coverage this year under President Barack Obama's health care law dropped out by the end of March, according to administration figures released late Thursday. The report from the Health and Human Services department said some 11.1 million people were still signed up. But that's a drop of nearly 13 percent from the 12.7 million who initially enrolled for subsidized private coverage this year. Those dropouts failed to seal the deal by paying their premiums. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/30)
Modern Healthcare: ACA's Risk Adjustment Hammers Small Plans Again
Small, regional health insurers and upstart co-op plans again incurred large charges under the Affordable Care Act's risk-adjustment program, according to new data the CMS released Thursday. Calendar year 2015 marks the second year of risk adjustment, and many smaller insurers have had to pay into the program both years. (Herman, 6/30)
The Associated Press: NY Regulators Want Insurer Risk-Adjustment Program Changed
New York insurance regulators say the federally mandated program for adjusting financial risk under the Affordable Care Act unduly affects the finances of newer and smaller insurers. Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo says in a letter to federal authorities there should be immediate changes in the risk-adjustment program, which transfers pooled funds to plans with higher-risk clients. (6/30)
