GOP’s Solution Of Selling Insurance Across State Lines Has Already Been Tried — And It Failed
Although it's touted as a way to drive down costs, the idea of selling insurance across state lines is riddled with complications that deter many regulators from adopting the option. Meanwhile, some Republicans are criticizing their own party for being caught flat-footed on repeal and replace following the elections. And a variety of business and labor groups are concerned about tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance.
NPR:
Health Insurance Sales Across State Lines Are Easier Said Than Done
Tuesday is the last day of open enrollment for health coverage for 2017 under the Affordable Care Act. And while Republicans in Congress are working to repeal the law, it's not at all clear what might replace it. During the campaign, President Trump suggested a nationwide insurance market that would allow insurance plans to be sold across state lines. The idea has been kicking around for years, and some states have tried it, including Rhode Island, where it didn't work too well. (1/31)
Previous KHN coverage: Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Bloomberg:
Slow Pace Of Obamacare Repeal Leaves House Conservatives Fuming
Party members emerged from a closed-door retreat in Philadelphia last week frustrated at the lack of progress in uniting around a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Numerous health-care alternatives have been offered by Republicans, but none have won consensus in the party. GOP leaders and committee chairmen have yet to get behind a legislative alternative, although House Speaker Paul Ryan has put forward a series of broad ideas in a blueprint released last year, including refundable tax credits and high-risk pools. (Kapur, 1/31)
CQ HealthBeat:
Groups Join Forces To Protect Job-Provided Health Insurance
Republicans are ramping up their consideration of a controversial policy to reduce tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance, drawing increasing ire from a diverse coalition of business and labor groups. The idea of scaling back the tax benefits for the more than 155 million people who get their coverage at work is generating so much concern that it has united those groups in staunch opposition. (Mershon, 1/31)
And in other news on the health law and its future —
Bloomberg:
Health-Care Costs Remain High Despite Obamacare Coverage Gains
Uninsured rates in low-income families have fallen under the Affordable Care Act, yet more than a third of Americans continued to face difficulties paying their medical bills in 2016, a survey found. Adults in poor families were among the greatest beneficiaries of the ACA, with uninsured rates falling as much as 17 percentage points since it became law in 2010, according to a study from the Commonwealth Fund, a private, New York-based research organization. Still, 34 percent of Americans said it’s difficult or impossible to find affordable health coverage. (Greifeld, 2/1)
The Associated Press:
Hawaii Bills Aim To Save Best Parts Of Affordable Care Act
Concerned about the dissolution of the Affordable Care Act, Hawaii lawmakers are introducing bills to merge into state law the consumer protections they consider the best parts of the federal program. The bills seek to guarantee insurers don't deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, institute lifetime maximums for coverage or strip some of the benefits such as pregnancy care that were mandated by the federal act. (1/31)
Boston Globe:
Anticipating The End Of Obamacare, Mass. Lawmakers Press For Contraceptive Mandate
Faced with the threatened repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which provided free birth control to women for the first time, Massachusetts lawmakers are scrambling to deliver a bill that would preserve — and even expand — free contraceptive coverage for all state residents. A bill introduced on Beacon Hill would expand the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees contraceptive coverage without co-payments or deductibles but does not currently cover every form of birth control. (Ebbert, 1/31)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Confusion For Georgians With Obamacare As Congress Kicks Off Debate
These disparate, passionate opinions of two Georgians reflect an extraordinary divide among Americans over the fate of the law known as Obamacare. The fault line runs straight through Washington, where GOP leaders are eager to pull the trigger on Obamacare but don’t know precisely where to shoot. Indeed, after initial indications Republicans might push to have President Donald Trump sign a repeal plan his first day in office, it’s now clear that replacing some pieces of Obamacare will take weeks or months or even longer. (Hallerman, 1/31)
