Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Targets Inauguration Day For 'Repeal' Part Of Plan, But 'Replace' May Be Delayed
Politico: Republicans Aim To Start Obamacare Repeal In January
Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing confident that they can begin to repeal Obamacare once President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in, along with a pledge to replace it later. “We have an Obamacare emergency right now,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate HELP Committee. “I think we could move forward in January on some aspects of repeal but we need to make sure that we are helping people and that we do no harm.” (Haberkorn, 11/16)
The Hill: GOP Eyes New ObamaCare Strategy: Repeal And Delay
A Republican plan to quickly repeal most of ObamaCare but delay the effects for up to two years is gaining steam on Capitol Hill. The plan would allow Republicans to deliver on promises to repeal the law in the next Congress while buying them time to come up with a replacement. But there’s a problem: If insurers know the law is going away, they might drop out immediately, causing chaos for enrollees before any replacement plan has time to take shape. (Sullivan, 11/17)
Orlando Sentinel: Obamacare Should Last Through 2017, Advisers Say
Despite President-elect Donald Trump's campaign vow to get rid of Obamacare, Central Floridians who are signing up apparently will get to keep their coverage through 2017. "We have people asking us right now, 'What is this going to mean? Are we going to have coverage throughout the year?'" said Anne Packham, lead marketplace navigator in Central Florida. (Miller, 11/17)
The Hill: ObamaCare Chief Says Trump Team Not Yet In Touch
A top Obama administration official overseeing ObamaCare said Wednesday that the President-elect Donald Trump's transition team had not yet reached out ahead of taking over the White House. “We are committed to having a great transition, and when they contact us we will have a great transition,” said Andy Slavitt, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees ObamaCare. “They have not been in touch with us yet.” A delay in signing a transition memorandum of understanding, which was finally finished on Tuesday, has contributed to a lack of communication between many agencies and the transition team that will be taking over. (Sullivan, 11/16)
Morning Consult: Slavitt: Insurers Focused On 2018 Plans, Not Repeal
Insurers are still committed to Affordable Care Act marketplaces, a top Obama administration health official said Wednesday, despite speculation over changes a Trump administration might make to the health care law. Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Wednesday that insurers are keeping their focus on 2018 coverage in the federal and state marketplaces. He and other CMS officials have had conversations with many health plans in the past week, he said. (McIntire, 11/16)
And in other health law news —
Stat: He’s A Trump In-Law Who Has Bet Big On Obamacare. What Now?
Perhaps no presidential son-in-law has ever been more in the spotlight than Jared Kushner. He was President-elect Donald Trump’s “de facto campaign manager” and helps run the executive committee of Trump’s tumultuous transition team. And rumors are swirling that Trump’s team is trying to get him top-secret security clearance so he can attend the official presidential daily briefings. But here’s something you might not know: Jared Kushner’s younger brother, Joshua Kushner, is the co-founder of a startup created to capitalize on the promise of the Affordable Care Act — which Trump has vowed to move quickly to dismantle. (Robbins, 11/17)
The Washington Post: The One Thing Missing From The Debate Over Obamacare, According To A Top Doctor
President-elect Donald Trump's promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act while preserving some key elements has triggered rampant speculation about the future of American health care — and plunged millions of patients who benefit from the law into deep uncertainty about the future of their coverage. Little is known about the replacement plan that will ultimately emerge. But one voice angling to shape future policy is the leader of the Mayo Clinic, neurologist John Noseworthy. The issue he thinks has been strangely missing from the years-long debate over malfunctioning websites, politics and soaring premiums is this: the patient's health. (Johnson, 11/16)
Politico Pro: Co-Op Losses Continue To Mount, But At Slower Pace
Most of the six remaining Obamacare co-ops continue to lose money, but at a slower rate than in prior years, according to new quarterly financial filings. The five startup insurers for which reports were available lost roughly $55 million combined through the first nine months of this year. That was roughly half the level of red ink for the five nonprofits at this point in 2015. (Demko, 11/16)
Richmond Times Dispatch: Joint Panel In Virginia To Monitor Health Care Policy Changes Under Trump Administration
A new legislative subcommittee will monitor health care policy changes that President-Elect Donald Trump proposes in order to help Virginia lawmakers prepare for either the repeal or repair of the Affordable Care Act, as well as other potential shifts in federal health care laws under the new administration. (Martz, 11/16)
