Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Law's Third Open Enrollment Season Begins
The Wall Street Journal: Health Law’s Strains Show
The Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment season got under way, with a new array of health plans that show how the law’s influence is starting to transform the insurance industry. Sunday’s kickoff appeared to go relatively smoothly, with little evidence of technical glitches at HealthCare.gov as consumers started to shop for coverage that will take effect in 2016. (Wilde Mathews, 11/1)
The Associated Press: Health Law's 3rd Sign-Up Season Faces Challenges From Prices
The government's insurance website is faster and easier to use, but as a third sign-up season gets underway, President Barack Obama's health care law is approaching limits. Enrollment on the federal and state exchanges began Sunday. While the law's expanded coverage has reduced the uninsured rate to a historic low of about 9 percent, the gains will be harder in 2016. (Johnson and Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/2)
The New York Times: Many Need To Shop Around On Healthcare.gov As Prices Jump, U.S. Says
In Tennessee, the state insurance commissioner approved a 36 percent rate increase for the largest health insurer in the state’s individual marketplace. In Iowa, the commissioner approved rate increases averaging 29 percent for the state’s dominant insurer. Health insurance consumers logging into HealthCare.gov on Sunday for the first day of the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment season may be in for sticker shock, unless they are willing to shop around. Federal officials acknowledged on Friday that many people would need to pick new plans to avoid substantial increases in premiums. (Pear and Goodnough, 10/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Next Enrollment Season for Affordable Care Act Kicks Off
The Obama administration was expecting a slow sign-up pace Sunday because of the weekend timing but is gearing up for brisker enrollment in the weeks to come. Open enrollment for new and returning customers on the federal marketplace HealthCare.gov and most state-run exchanges runs through Jan. 31. (Armour, 11/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Businesses, Patients Feel Marketplaces’ Ripple Effect
[T]he ripple effects of change stemming from the law and its signature marketplaces are being felt in almost every corner of the health-care system. Consumers this week start signing up for new coverage on the marketplaces, one of the most high-profile changes the law has brought to the health-care industry. (Wilde Mathews, 11/1)
USA Today: Federal Health Site Premiums, Number Of Insurers Vary Widely By Area
Consumers shopping on the federal health exchange for 2016 plans will still be able to pick from about five insurance companies, but there will be fewer plans on average to choose from, federal health officials said Friday. About 90% of consumers who return to Healthcare.gov will have plans from three or more insurers to choose from for 2016 coverage, Department of Health and Human Services officials said. (O'Donnell, 10/30)
The Washington Post: Third Year Of ACA Sign-Up Starts, On Time But With Muted Fanfare
Less overt drama surrounds this third year’s enrollment season, compared with the inaugural season, when HealthCare.gov and some state-run exchanges suffered massive computer defects, as well as last fall, when a pending Supreme Court case threatened to block federal subsidies that help consumers in more than three dozen states buy ACA coverage. Still, big questions linger: Of the estimated 10.5 million uninsured people who are eligible to get coverage on the exchanges, how many can be persuaded to buy health plans? And how many of nearly 10 million existing customers will renew coverage — and at what price? (Goldstein, 11/1)
CBS News: In Year 3, Many Hit With Obamacare Sticker Shock
Sign-up season started Sunday for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, now in year 3. Premiums are going up an average of 7.5 percent, but they could be much higher depending on where you live. (Duncan, 10/31)
Bloomberg: Obamacare Premiums Climb, But Insurers Struggle For Profit
Many people shopping for health coverage this weekend on the websites created by Obamacare are going to see double-digit percentage increases in their premiums. That’s still not enough for some insurers. Anthem Inc. says there remain competitors in the government-run marketplace offering premiums that aren’t enough to profitably provide the coverage patients will require. Prices in some areas probably will have to climb in 2017 and even 2018 to reach levels that make sense, according to Chief Financial Officer Wayne Deveydt. Meantime, Anthem will sacrifice market share to keep its plans profitable, he said. (Tracer, 10/30)
Real Clear Health: Burwell Kicks Off Marketplace Open Enrollment, Touting Healthcare.gov Improvements
Those who do shop for insurance on the marketplaces will mostly see higher premium costs for 2016 compared to prices paid this year. According to HHS, premiums for a benchmark insurance plan will rise by an average of 7.5 percent in the 37 healthcare.gov states. But premium changes vary widely from state to state, and even within states, so in many cases consumers will be hit with much higher increases, while in some cases costs will be lower than this year. Furthermore, rising subsidies will protect many lower income shoppers from these price increases. (Eisenhower, 11/2)
Kaiser Health News: It’s Open Enrollment Time: What To Know About Obamacare Costs
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey appeared on PBS NewsHour to talk about the impending open enrollment season to buy health insurance coverage on healthcare.gov and online state marketplaces. Watch the video. (10/30)
