Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Typically Risk-Averse Insurers Are Helping Save Obamacare
Politico: Obamacare Survives Its Latest Threat — Bare Counties
President Donald Trump contends the health care law is “dead,” but residents of all but one county in America will be able to get an Obamacare health plan next year. Poised for their fifth enrollment cycle this fall, the Obamacare insurance markets are proving more resilient than many anticipated, with insurers jumping in to cover regions other companies fled, undercutting GOP predictions of widespread market collapses. (Demko, 8/20)
California Healthline: Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans
For about 60,000 Covered California customers, choosing a health plan next year will be easier, and possibly more painful, than ever: There will be only one insurer left in their communities after Anthem Blue Cross of California pulls out of much of the state’s individual market. That means they could lose doctors they trust, or pay higher premiums. (Ibarra, 8/18)
Meanwhile, in Tennessee —
The New York Times: In Tennessee, Promoting Enrollment In Tenuous Health Care Plans
Sharon Barker isn’t used to recruiting new health insurance customers in deepest summer, long before the enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act. But this year, everything is different. Despite surviving Republican efforts to repeal it, the law known as Obamacare remains vulnerable. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to end billions of dollars in payments to insurance companies, but his administration decided this week to continue them for another month. (Goodnough, 8/20)
Nashville Tennessean: TennCare: Family Regains Coverage, Issues Remain
The Tennessee Comptroller's office is launching an investigation into TennCare's paperwork problem. Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell reached out to the comptroller's office after she was made aware of the issue by the USATODAY NETWORK-Tennessee. ... Harwell was made aware of the rising number of Tennesseans facing unclear coverage status through TennCare when she visited the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal offices Aug. 7. (Timms, 8/18)
Nashville Tennessean: Congressional Clarity Over CSRs 'A Herculean Task' Before ACA Deadline
Questions over the 2018 individual health insurance market are swirling as insurers get a federal extension to file rates and month-by-month decisions from the White House on whether to make an insurance payment. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance was on track to approve insurers' premium requests for 2018 on Aug. 16 but an unexpected move from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pushed the timeline back into early September. (Fletcher, 8/20)
