Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Humana's Exit From Health Exchanges Spotlights Insurers' Concerns About GOP Plans For 2018
The Wall Street Journal: Humana’s Decision To Pull Out Of Health Exchanges Pressures Republicans
Humana Inc.’s decision to withdraw from the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year adds to the pressure on Republicans to bolster the marketplaces even as they promise to unwind the health law. ... Republicans may find themselves in a tough position politically if insurer withdrawals or sharp rate markups affect marketplace consumers in 2018, when federal health policy will have been under their control for about a year. ... Insurers have been ratcheting up the pressure on Republicans to prop up the marketplaces, with increasingly public threats about the consequences if they don’t see such efforts. Insurers must begin filing rates for their 2018 exchange plans with state regulators this spring. (Wilde Mathews and Armour, 2/15)
The Hill: Humana Exit Highlights Uncertainty About ObamaCare Replacement Plan
Humana’s decision to exit the ObamaCare exchanges at the end of the year could trigger a “domino effect” among insurers, with companies abandoning the marketplace and potentially leaving thousands with diminished or zero coverage options in 2018. Humana became the first insurance company to pull out of the exchanges for 2018 on Tuesday, amid uncertainty from Congress and the Trump administration about what an ObamaCare replacement will look like and when it might be implemented. (Hellmann, 2/15)
Nashville Tennessean: Humana Exit Shakes Up 2018 ACA Exchange, Leaves Knoxville Coverage Gap
Humana's decision to stop selling insurance on Obamacare exchanges in 2018 will impact Tennesseans who live in the state's three major metro areas. Humana is currently the only insurer on the exchange in the greater Knoxville area — meaning if another insurance company does not enter the market, there will be no Obamacare exchange in that area. The insurance giant announced the decision on Feb. 14 during an analyst call after its $34 billion deal with Aetna was terminated following a ruling by a federal judge. (Fletcher, 2/15)
Georgia Health News: Humana Quitting Georgia Exchange (And Others) As Feds Plan Rule Changes
Humana’s planned pullout from Georgia’s insurance exchange at the end of 2017 would subtract yet another health insurer from the state’s marketplace. The company, based in Louisville, Ky., is one of just five insurers offering plans this year in the Georgia exchange, which was created by the Affordable Care Act. UnitedHealthcare and Aetna were two heavyweights that bowed out of Georgia’s and other exchanges in 2017. (Miller, 2/15)
