Few Takers For Obamacare’s Small Business Exchanges
Fewer than 11,000 employers nationwide have enrolled their workers in coverage through the small business exchanges set up under the federal health law. Other stories look at the law's coverage of nutrition and obesity counseling and how Novartis might bundle health-care services, along with its new heart-failure drug, to win over increasingly cost-conscious insurers.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Small Business Insurance Exchanges Are off To A Rocky Start
Millions of Americans have health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, but there’s one area where enrollment has significantly dragged. Few small businesses are getting coverage through the law’s online insurance exchange. Only 10,700 employers are currently enrolled in coverage through the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, exchanges, the federal government announced this month. That figure represents about 85,000 Americans, the government said. Officials did not provide a state-by-state breakdown. (Shapiro, 7/9)
ABC News:
Affordable Care Act Will Cover Weight Loss Medical Services
Losing weight is a universal struggle but now some weight loss efforts may not cost you as much money out of pocket. Weight loss programs that involve professional weight loss doctors or nurses and registered dieticians are now covered under the Affordable Care Act, legislation that expanded health coverage to millions of Americans and was upheld for a second time last month by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ACA, signed into law by President Obama in 2010, requires insurers to pay for nutrition and obesity screening. (Good Morning America, 7/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Novartis Looking At Ways To Win Over Cost-Concerned Health Insurers
Novartis AG might offer a bundle of health-care services alongside its promising new heart-failure drug to win over increasingly cost-conscious insurers, its chief executive said. The drug, called Entresto, has been shown to reduce the rate of hospitalization and cardiovascular death in heart failure compared with the current standard treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it earlier this week .... But at $12.50 per patient a day, it also carries a substantially higher price tag than the older drugs, which cost less than a dollar a dose. ... Chief Executive Joe Jimenez said Thursday Novartis was “looking hard” at going to insurers with add-on services intended to further improve outcomes for patients on Entresto. He said this could involve providing a device that allowed doctors to monitor patients remotely so they could pick up on early signs of deterioration. (Roland, 7/10)
Meanwhile, Illinois lays off Obamacare outreach workers ahead of the third enrollment period -
The Chicago Tribune:
Illinois Slashes Obamacare Outreach Staff
Get Covered Illinois, the organization created to promote health insurance sold under the federal Affordable Care Act, said Wednesday it is eliminating most of its staff in a move the group attributed to decreased federal funding. The organization led efforts to sign people up for coverage through the health law's first and second open enrollment periods, producing commercials and overseeing hundreds of federal enrollment specialists known as navigators. (Venteicher, 7/9)
The Associated Press:
Jobs Cut At Get Covered Illinois Before 3rd Enrollment Push
Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has eliminated 15 staff positions from Get Covered Illinois, the state's health insurance exchange, three months ahead of the third annual enrollment period under President Barack Obama's health care law. The layoffs raise questions about the Republican administration's plans for helping consumers enroll in health insurance coverage under the law — the Democratic president's signature domestic policy achievement. (Johnson, 7/9)
