Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Marketplace Chief Pleased With 'Good Couple Of Days'
The Associated Press: Healthcare.gov Gets Steady Traffic; Hits Bump
HealthCare.gov got steady consumer interest and also hit a bump Monday, the first weekday of the new sign-up season under the president's health overhaul. Consumers trying to open their existing accounts on the website got this message off and on during the afternoon: "HealthCare.gov has a lot of visitors right now! We need you to wait here, so we can make sure there's enough room for you to have a good experience on our site." At other times, this message was displayed: "We're busy making HealthCare.gov even better! Sorry you can't get what you need right now. Please come back and visit again later." Spokeswoman Lori Lodes said one problem was fixed and issues will be addressed as they arise. Other areas of the website were working normally, she added. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/17)
USA Today: Smoother Start, But Some Struggle With Healthcare.gov
Sign-ups have generally gone more smoothly than last year for HealthCare.gov, although some consumers and insurance agents are having problems with the site that are reminiscent of last fall's open enrollment experiences. Numerous log-in and password failures were reported Monday, but federal officials call these cases the exception. (O'Donnell and Ungar, 11/17)
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Quiet Start Seen For Obamacare Enrollment Period
The federal health insurance marketplace set up under the Affordable Care Act has gotten off to a relatively uneventful start in its second year. The healthcare.gov website, in other words, is working. (Boulton, 11/17)
Meanwhile, The Associated Press takes a quick look at premium increases in Florida, one of the key states for enrollment efforts -
The Associated Press: Health Premiums Increase 10 To 15 Percent In Fla.
The average monthly premiums for mid-range health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act increased as much as 20 percent in Florida, but also decreased slightly in one county, year over year. According to an Associated Press analysis, rural counties and counties where senior citizens make up a significant portion of the population in Florida saw the biggest increases in premium costs for "silver" plans from 2014 to 2015. (Schneider and Kennedy, 11/17)
NBC News: Obamacare's Annual Check-Up: Three Things You Need to Know
re are three important -- and conflicting -- facts about the federal health-care law with its second open enrollment season now underway: One, a year removed from HealthCare.Gov’s debacle, the law is working better than many had ever thought it would. The uninsured rate, per Gallup, has dropped from 18.0% last year to 13.4% now. Many premiums for 2015 are lower than expected. (Todd, Murray and Dann, 11/17)
Several outlets reported on that Gallup poll -
The Chicago Sun-Times: Disapproval Of ObamaCare Has Never Been Greater
While the second sign-up season for Obamacare is gearing up and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said she expects "strong and healthy growth" for 2015, Americans' disapproval of the Affordable Care Act has hit an all-time high. A new Gallup poll shows only 37 percent approve of the health care law, which is a new low, while 56 percent of Americans say they disapprove of it, which eclipses the previous high by 1 percentage point. Since the end of 2012 when Americans were mostly split on the law, the divide has been gradually growing over the last two years. (Merda, 11/17)
Politico: Gallup: 'New Numerical Low' For Obamacare
Support for Obamacare continues to decline, with the law hitting a new low in approval, and a new high in disapproval, as the second enrollment period has opened for Americans, according to Gallup. (McCalmont, 11/17)
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare’s Approval At Lowest Rating On Record
Some 100,000 people signed up for health coverage on the state and federal exchanges on the first day of Obamacare’s second open enrollment period this weekend—compared to just six people last year amid a nightmarish rollout plagued with website issues. And despite the seemingly successful technical launch on Saturday, Obamacare is still not winning any popularity contests. (Ehley, 11/17)
The Washington Post also noted that the health law is working its way into popular culture -
The Washington Post: ‘Last Man Standing’ Still Has A Lot To Say About Obamacare
It can be tough for a sitcom to take on a timely topic, particularly in the political arena. That’s partly a factor of TV production schedules, partly the hesitance about shoehorning a serious issue in between laugh tracks. But on Friday night, ABC’s “Last Man Standing” managed to jump into current events — specifically, the Obamacare debate. (Yahr, 11/17)
