Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If You Like It, You Can Keep It: GOP Senator Proposes States Decide If They Want Health Law
Bloomberg: Republican Senator Would Let States Keep Obamacare If They Want
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is making an offer to Democrats he hopes they won’t refuse: If their states like Obamacare, they can keep it. A doctor who worked for decades in charity hospitals and clinics before joining Congress, Cassidy plans to introduce soon an updated version of his health-care plan aimed at giving states flexibility to keep Obamacare, nix it entirely or transition to a new system of health savings accounts and automatic health plan enrollment. (Dennis, 1/17)
Morning Consult: Outside Groups Focus On Repeal Of Insurer Tax Amid ACA Overhaul Efforts
There’s one aspect of the Affordable Care Act that health insurers and other groups are loudly calling for Congress to repeal: the law’s health insurance tax. And while the GOP wants the law to be repealed in the coming weeks, it’s unclear if all taxes will be undone in a repeal measure. (McIntire, 1/17)
Politico: HHS Secretary Burwell Will Sign Up For Obamacare
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will be signing up for Obamacare. Burwell, who has led implementation of the Affordable Care Act for more than two years, plans to sign up for coverage on D.C.’s health insurance exchange when her federal employee plan ends — even as Republicans wrestle with how to repeal the law. (Haberkorn, 1/17)
Kaiser Health News: 6 Lesser-Known Obamacare Provisions That Could Evaporate
On NPR’s Morning Edition, Kaiser Health News correspondent Julie Appleby discusses some lesser known parts of the health law that could be repealed by the GOP Congress and Donald Trump. (1/18)
Stateline: Interstate Health Insurance: Sounds Good, But Details Are Tricky
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to allow health insurers to sell policies across state lines to spur competition and lower premiums. On his campaign website, Trump proclaimed that, “by allowing full competition in this market, insurance costs will go down and consumer satisfaction will go up.” He also touted the idea during the second presidential debate, and since the election, Vice President-elect Mike Pence has made the same argument. The implication is that federal law prevents insurers from selling policies across state lines. That isn’t the case. (Ollove, 1/18)
Previous KHN coverage: Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Sacramento Bee: Research Groups Tout Contrasting Proposals And Priorities For Obamacare
Separate reports released Tuesday offered differing strategic advice and policy recommendations for lawmakers grappling with the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. A new report by The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says any repeal-and-replace legislation should embody three basic principles: Reduce the national debt, replace or strengthen the health care law’s cost-control measures, and maintain or improve Medicare solvency. A similar report by the Urban Institute urged lawmakers to address complaints and correct problems with the health law through legislative fixes rather than the disruptive process of repealing and replacing the law. (Pugh, 1/17)
Miami Herald: With Obamacare, She Can Run Her Own Business. Without It, She’ll Have To Close.
Healthy meals are the cornerstone of the small business that Gaby De Jesus of Miami founded in 2015 to help people struggling with weight gain and heart conditions. But affordable health insurance is the key to the company’s survival, she said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference opposing repeal of the Affordable Care Act, De Jesus said she launched the private chef service and catering company, Fork & Knives, because the health law better known as Obamacare had given her the option of starting her own business rather than finding a job with health benefits. (Chang, 1/17)
Pioneer Press: Minnesotans Bracing For Health Care Spike Urge Lawmakers On Relief Deal
An estimated 120,000 Minnesotans are in a similar position to [Sheri] Sexton: facing premium increases of 50 percent or more but earning too much money to qualify for federal subsidies that can offset those hikes. Divisions over the best way to deliver relief continue to delay the final passage of that relief this week, the third of the 2017 session. Democrats and Republicans disagree about who should administer the 25 percent insurance discounts and whether that relief should be bundled with long-term reform. They’re facing a ticking clock. The open-enrollment period for the individual insurance market ends Jan. 31, so a relief package needs to become law before then for Minnesotans to take any discounts into account when choosing insurance. (Montgomery, 1/17)
