In Sign Of The Times, Republican In Tight House Race Releases Resolution On Protecting Preexisting Conditions

The Hill: Vulnerable House Republican Unveils Resolution On Pre-Existing Conditions
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced a resolution intended to protect people with pre-existing conditions, illustrating the lengths vulnerable Republicans are going to try to show they favor those protections. The resolution from Sessions, who is facing a close reelection race against Democrat Colin Allred, is nonbinding, but expresses the opinion of the House that pre-existing conditions should be protected. (Sullivan, 10/2)

CQ: Republicans Say They Support Pre-Existing Conditions Coverage
The resolution is backed by 18 other House Republicans, ranging from incumbents in tight races like Reps. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and John J. Faso of New York to conservatives in safe seats such as Reps. Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Mark Meadows of North Carolina. “I proudly introduced this resolution to ensure that patients with pre-existing conditions are protected from the erroneously high costs and the limited options they are experiencing now,” Sessions said in a statement. (McIntire, 10/2)

Pioneer Press: MN Individual Health Insurance Rates Are Declining, But Will It Last?
Health insurance rates on Minnesota’s individual market will drop for a second straight year in 2019, but the progress toward better affordability could be short-lived. “I think we need a plan,” Jessica Looman, state commerce commissioner, said Tuesday when she announced premiums would decrease on average between 7 percent and 27.7 percent. “I think we need to look at what we are going to do moving forward.”That’s because the efforts state lawmakers put in place to help stabilize the individual insurance market are winding down. Subsidies for high premiums ended after 2017 and a two-year, $541 million reinsurance program, which limits insurers’ losses on high-cost patients, will sunset next year. (Magan, 10/2)

The Star Tribune: Health Insurance Premium Rates In Minn. Drop For Individuals, Rise For Small Firms 
The reductions announced Tuesday by state officials point to a second consecutive year of flat or reduced premiums in the individual market, which for several years was plagued by premium spikes under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). About 155,000 Minnesotans buy individual policies, which are an option for those who don’t get health insurance through their employer. Even with premium cuts on the horizon, the market remains much smaller than it used to be and still causes pocketbook pain for those who don’t receive federal tax credits. (Snowbeck, 10/2)

MPR: 2019 Non-Group Health Insurance Premiums Plunge In Minnesota
The information from the Commerce Department did not address one important aspect of health insurance that can profoundly affect consumers' finances--out-of-pocket costs. Earlier this year, the Minnesota health department issued a report assessing the state of the non-group market in Minnesota and noted "a shift towards insurance products with considerable cost sharing," the industry term for deductibles, co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses. (Zdechlik, 10/2)

And in Maryland —

The Washington Post: Maryland Dems: Trump Health Care Curbs Could Affect 260,000
As many as 260,000 Maryland residents could see higher premiums or lose their health care coverage altogether because of pre-existing medical conditions, age or gender under a new Trump administration legal strategy, state Democrats warned on Tuesday. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore, along with other Democratic members of the Maryland congressional delegation and state Attorney General Brian Frosh attacked the Trump administration for refusing to protect Americans guaranteed the right to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. (Goldstein, 10/2)