Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Law Worries Include Slowing Enrollment, Fewer Work Hours
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Sign Ups Lose Momentum In State Exchanges
In Obamacare’s first two years, enrollment reached more than 11.7 million people—surprising skeptics and putting the law on pace to reach its goal of enrolling 21 million Americans in health coverage by 2016. While this is good news for the administration (and the millions of people who now have health insurance), some experts are afraid that Obamacare may soon hit peak enrollment. (Ehley, 3/24)
The Wall Street Journal: Health Overhaul Leads To Shorter Work Hours
The Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama five years ago this week, sparked a host of changes. For some workers, the law’s legacy amounts to fewer hours of paid work. The law’s requirement that larger employers provide affordable insurance to workers putting in 30-plus hour weeks has led some companies to cap the number of hours employees can log. A new survey out Tuesday from the Society for Human Resource Management finds that 14% of employers have cut back on hours for part-time employees, and an additional 6% plan to do so. The survey, which included more than 740 human resources professionals, found that a small subset of companies were considering reducing hours for full-time employees too. (Feintzeig, 3/25)
The Wall Street Journal: Auto Workers’ Medical Benefits At Risk Under New Tax
Detroit’s negotiations this summer to reach a new four-year labor deal won’t just be an argument about wages. Generous health-care benefits for about 135,000 unionized factory workers are at risk of being cut to prepare for the Affordable Care Act’s “Cadillac” tax. Health care has long been a fiercely protected benefit for United Auto Worker members, remaining generous even as the union has made other concessions. But the so-called Cadillac tax on companies with high-cost health plans is scheduled to take effect in 2018. (Rogers, 3/24)
NPR/Center For Public Integrity: Feds Claim Obamacare Launch Is Hindering Government Transparency
A heavy workload caused by the Affordable Care Act, government technology limits and staff shortages are causing unusually long delays in filling public records requests, federal health officials say. The waits in some cases could stretch out a decade or more. The Freedom of Information Act requires federal agencies to respond to records requests in 20 working days, though providing documents often takes much longer. The FBI, for instance, recently reported that complex requests could average more than two years to fill. (Schulte, 3/24)
The Boston Globe: Markey Seeks Repeal Of Medical Device Tax
Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, introduced legislation Tuesday to repeal the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices, a two-year-old levy that has been the target of a national industry with a strong presence in the state. (Weisman, 3/24)
NBC News: Latinos Talk Health, Discrimination, Immigration In New Poll
On health, the Affordable Care Act has considerably boosted insurance coverage among Latinos, yet many were still not familiar with key aspects of the law. (Lilley, 3/24)
And one lawmaker's floor speech on the health law is scrutinized --
The Washington Post's Fact Checker: Here’s Why Lawmakers Should Not Speak Without Notes
First of all, let’s start with the numbers that [Rep. Pete] Sessions cited on the floor. He claimed that the cost of insuring 12 million people would be $108 billion. Then he did some “simple multiplication” and came up with a figure of $5 million per newly insured person. Actually, if you divide $108 billion by 12 million, you end up with $9,000 a person. That’s a pretty big difference. We might understand why $5 million would be “immoral” or “unconscionable,” as Sessions thundered in his speech, but it turns out to be less than 1/500th of that amount. (Kessler, 3/25)
