Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Law Gives Young Adults Freedom To Make Job Decisions: Study
The Washington Post: How Obamacare Helped Millennials Chill Out
Although young people have been slow to sign up on their own [for insurance following the health law's passage], insurance plans have to cover dependent children through age 26, resulting in increased coverage— and a lot more young people who don't necessarily have to work in order to have access to health care. New research suggests that some of those young people are taking advantage of the newfound freedom, and are feeling pretty good about it. (DePillis, 11/21)
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Persuading Young People To Buy Insurance Is Major Challenge For Health Reform
Persuading someone that age and with that income to buy health insurance is a major challenge facing the Affordable Care Act as its third enrollment period is underway. The law sets out to convince people who are young, healthy and on tight budgets that health insurance — even if the plan covers primarily large medical expenses — is no longer an optional purchase. (Boulton, 11/23)
The Fiscal Times: The Thrill Is Gone For Obamacare As Health-Care Approval Fades
Troubling signs about the Affordable Care Act and the state of health care in the U.S. have bubbled up in the last few weeks. The administration’s Obamacare enrollment projections for the coming year are down, the projected cost of premiums and out of pocket costs are up, nearly half of the insurance co-ops associated with the program are going out of business, and UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, said it may withdraw from the government marketplaces in 2017. Now comes a new survey by Gallup showing growing discontent with Obamacare and the U.S. health-care industry more generally after years of relative satisfaction with the quality and cost of the health-care system. (Pianin, 11/22)
Elsewhere, a universal health care proposal makes the 2016 ballot in Colorado, and a Pennsylvania family wrestles with decoding medical bills. And the Los Angeles Times reports on exclusive provider organization plans, or EPOs -
The Associated Press: Swing State Colorado Mulls Universal Health Care Proposal
A new plan for government-run health care that covers everyone is coming from a surprising corner: Colorado, a politically moderate swing state where Republicans and Democrats often share control of state government. Universal coverage proposals — known as "single-payer" — have failed time and again in the United States. Left-leaning Vermont recently pursued such a system, only to abandon it as too expensive. President Obama's health care law doesn't cover everyone and has sparked enormous political backlash. (Wyatt, 11/22)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: What Will It Take To Make Sense Of Medical Bills
The Cios family of Bucks County could be a living advertisement for the wonders of modern medicine: dad's double knee replacement, mom's successful treatment for thyroid cancer, their two teenage daughters' repairs of assorted sports injuries. Along with the benefits, however, comes a flip side: a never-ending array of billing and insurance complications that are growing increasingly familiar to Americans wrestling with the health care system. (Sapatkin, 11/22)
Los Angeles Times: Healthcare Watch: EPO Health Plans Tightly Restrict Doctors That Patients Can See
EPOs are a relatively new type of plan that limits coverage to in-network providers — except for medical emergencies. They are often considered hybrid insurance policies. "Some may say an EPO is just a more flexible HMO plan," says Michael Lujan, president of the California Assn. of Health Underwriters. Unlike an HMO, "you typically do not need a referral to see a specialist in an EPO plan." But the specialist has to be in your network. EPOs typically pay nothing if you see an out-of-network doctor. (Zamosky, 11/20)
