Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feds Nix Mass. Plan To Settle Health Insurers' Dispute
The Boston Globe: U.S. Objects To State Plan To Settle Health Insurers’ Dispute
Federal officials are objecting to a compromise plan intended to quell a dispute among the state’s health insurers. State officials floated an idea this month to phase in over several years a new measure of the Affordable Care Act that requires some insurers to make payments to others, based on the health of their patients. (Dayal McCluskey, 3/17)
The Baltimore Sun: More Deliberation With Health Exchange Contracts Needed, Board Member Says
A member of the board that oversees the state exchange where people buy insurance plans under health reform said the entity needs to take more care in approving contracts. "I think we can do this with a little more deliberation," said the board member, Dr. Georges Benjamin, who was also state health secretary under Gov. Parris N. Glendening. (McDaniels, 3/17)
Georgia Health News: Ga. Exchange Rates Hold The Line, Beat U.S. Average
Premiums in Georgia’s insurance exchange showed only a slight increase in 2015, as compared with the South overall and the nation as a whole, according to a new analysis released Tuesday. The Urban Institute study found that nationally, the average premium increase in the lowest-cost “Silver” plan was 2.9 percent. ... The Georgia increase in the lowest-cost Silver plan was just 1.8 percent in 2015, rising from $255 to $260 a month. (Miller, 3/17)
