Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Senator Unveils Legislation For 'Trump Health Freedom Accounts'
Politico: Rick Scott Releases Obamacare Subsidy Alternative
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has issued his alternative to enhanced Obamacare subsidies. His “More Affordable Care Act,” released Thursday, enables Obamacare customers to use a “Trump Health Freedom Account” that resembles a health savings account. (King, 11/20)
Politico: Looming Affordability Crisis Set To Hit Americans With Health Insurance Through Work
Rising Obamacare premiums are a political problem for Republicans. Rising premiums for workers who get health insurance from their employers could be an even bigger one. Republicans in Congress are focused on finding a way to counteract an expected 26 percent rise in premiums for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act, without extending government subsidies that make insurance more affordable. (Hooper, 11/20)
Politico: Vance Tries To Thread The Affordability Needle
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered an explanation for the slate of political quagmires Republicans are juggling, including persistent cost of living issues and even divisions within the Republican Party itself. He blamed them on the Democrats. Speaking at a fireside chat hosted by the MAGA-friendly news outlet Breitbart, the vice president chalked up affordability concerns that catalyzed steep GOP losses in state elections earlier this month to former President Joe Biden’s policies and a government shutdown he called Democratic “economic terrorism.” (Sentner, 11/20)
NPR: These Families’ Health Care Costs Will Balloon If Congress Doesn’t Act On The ACA
The government shutdown has ended without resolving a fight over health insurance. Congress failed to extend enhanced tax credits that have helped millions of Americans on Affordable Care Act plans cover their plan costs since 2021. Senate Republicans have promised a vote on the enhanced subsidies before the end of the year. But open enrollment for these plans is already underway and consumers are facing sky-high prices and little certainty about whether they'll get relief. (Wroth and Nair, 11/20)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: The GOP Circles The Wagons On ACA
Millions of people in Republican-dominated states are among those seeing their Affordable Care Act plan premiums spike for 2026 as enhanced, pandemic-era subsidies expire. Yet Republicans in the White House and on Capitol Hill are firming up their opposition to extending those additional payments — at least for now. Meanwhile, Democrats may not have achieved their shutdown goal of renewing the subsidies, but they have returned health care — one of their top issues with voters — to the national agenda. (Rovner, 11/20)
In related news about tariffs —
Politico: Trump Cuts More Tariffs With Eye Toward Grocery Prices
President Donald Trump on Thursday eliminated tariffs on a large swath of Brazilian agricultural goods, including beef and coffee, dropping steep tariffs he imposed this summer as he feuded with Brazil’s government and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. (Desrochers, 11/20)
Katie Couric Media: Trump Wants to Send $2,000 Tariff Checks to Americans — Here’s the Problem
In a Truth Social post on Nov. 8, Trump wrote that instead of “sending hundreds of billions” to insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act, the money should go “directly to the people” so they can buy their own coverage. ... Even if lawmakers embraced the idea, there’s a much bigger hurdle: the math. A $2,000-per-person dividend — even if limited to Americans with low or middle incomes — would far exceed the roughly $200 billion that Donald Trump’s tariffs are expected to raise. (Bonn, 11/18)
On Medicare and telehealth —
USA Today: Medicare Premium Hike Cuts Into 2026 Social Security COLA
Retirees received the good news in late October that those receiving average Social Security retirement benefits each month will see an inflation-adjusted increase of roughly $56 a month starting in January. The bad news hit in November: Retirees will hand over another $17.90 a month as the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B hits $202.90 a month for 2026.And that's how an average $56 cost-of-living adjustment in monthly Social Security retirement benefits could end up at around $38 a month for many, but not all, people. (Tompor, 11/20)
AHA News: CMS Issues Updated Guidance On Medicare Telehealth Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will retroactively pay claims for telehealth services provided during the government shutdown through Jan. 30, the agency said in an updated FAQ Nov. 20. Telehealth flexibilities will expire at the end of January if government funding is not extended. (11/20)
On the high cost of prescription drugs —
Fierce Healthcare: Dems Introduce Bill To Expand Drug Price Negotiation
Democrats in the House have introduced a new bill that aims to further expand Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. The bill, titled the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act, would allow Medicare to negotiate prices for more drugs each year, from 20 to 50, and make those prices available in the commercial insurance market. It could cap annual out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions and insulin at $35 per month. (Minemyer, 11/20)
Fierce Healthcare: Mark Cuban Implores Employers To Simplify Contracting
In a virtual fireside chat on Tuesday with Scripta Insights CEO Eric Levin, Mark Cuban spoke passionately about the potential of simplified contracting and cash pay. Scripta is a partner of Cuban’s company, Cost Plus Drugs. ... Though a few states already require this, Cuban also recommended that employers mandate that cash payments be applied to a member’s deductible. “If you’re self-insured, it’s your contract. You get to write it the way you want,” Cuban said. This is something many brokers do not have incentive to recommend, he said, because it doesn’t keep them in good standing with PBMs. (Gliadkovskaya, 11/19)
