Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If Health Law Is Overturned In Courts, Administration Has A Plan To Protect Preexisting Conditions, CMS Chief Vows
Modern Healthcare: CMS Has A Plan If Federal Judge Strikes Down ACA
The CMS has a plan to protect pre-existing conditions and Americans' access to care even if a federal judge overturns the Affordable Care Act, CMS Adminstrator Seema Verma said Tuesday. A slew of Republican state attorneys general have challenged the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law, and that lawsuit may be decided any day. (Dickson, 11/27)
Politico Pro: Democratic AGs Look To Shore Up Health Care Defenses After Victories
The blue wave that swept Democrats into control of the House also helped them seize the majority of the country’s attorney general seats, bolstering their defenses against the Trump administration’s most controversial health care moves. Evidence of the party’s new legal advantage became clear this week when Wisconsin Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul confirmed to POLITICO he would quickly withdraw from a 20-state lawsuit against Obamacare his vanquished opponent helped lead. (Ollstein, 11/27)
Modern Healthcare: ACA Reinsurance Lowers Premiums, But Fails To Attract More Insurers
Reinsurance programs have successfully stabilized individual insurance premiums and boosted enrollment in Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon, but the programs have been less effective at attracting more insurers to sell individual plans in those states, according to a report released Tuesday. The three states were the first to implement reinsurance programs in 2018 under Section 1332 waivers in hopes of shoring up their individual markets amid rising premiums and dwindling insurer participation. Their efforts have proven mostly successful, illustrating the value of pursuing state solutions when federal policy is uncertain, researchers at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms concluded. (Livingston, 11/27)
In other health law news from the states —
San Francisco Chronicle: Many More Californians Likely To Be Without Health Insurance In Next 5 Years
Up to 800,000 more Californians are likely to be without health coverage in 2023, researchers estimate — reversing a years-long trend of falling uninsured rates in the state following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The number of uninsured Californians is projected to increase to 4.4 million in 2023 unless state officials enact policies to expand coverage, according to a report released Tuesday by the UC Berkeley Labor Center and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (Ho, 11/27)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Lawmakers Override Veto Of Short-Term Health Insurance Bill
Illinois consumers will only be able to use controversial, short-term health insurance plans for about six months at a time now that the state legislature has voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill that sets that limit. Dozens of Illinois consumer advocacy groups had supported the original bill, which took aim at a recent Trump administration change to the rules surrounding short-term plans. Such plans are generally cheaper than traditional health insurance but cover fewer services. (Schencker, 11/27)
