Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Insurance Shoppers Beware: Experts Warn Against Picking Health Insurance Just On Premium Costs
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Don't Just Grab Lowest Premium
If you're in the individual market for health insurance and want to be covered by New Year's Day, you have until Dec. 15 to choose your plan on the Affordable Care Act exchange. Choosing a health plan is confusing, so it's understandable if you're tempted to just grab the lowest premium you can find. But don't do it. Depending on your family's income and health needs, you could come out ahead with a plan that has a higher monthly premium but that offers better coverage. (Calandra, 11/29)
Burlington Free Press: Vermont Health Connect Promises Fixes
Although Gov. Peter Shumlin recently proclaimed the Vermont Health Connect a “totally different ballgame” in comparison to last year’s performance, a House committee on Monday heard of several unresolved problems affecting the insurance exchange. Cassandra Gekas, operations director for Vermont Health Connect, said staff members are working on a problem in which hundreds of people who paid their monthly premiums on time were canceled for nonpayment. Apparently, the cancellations were related to a five- to seven-day period it takes for the system to process end of the month payments. (Gram, 11/30)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Losing Your Life Savings To Long-Term Care
When he was growing up in Queens, N.Y., in the 1930s, Robert Raymond's family struggled with money. He remembers vowing that he wouldn't be in the same financial position when he got older. Like so many older Americans, the Raymonds have seen their life savings swallowed up by long-term care. It took the couple decades to turn their modest salaries into a $100,000 nest egg and just five years to completely deplete it after Claire moved into an assisted living facility. (Parente, 11/30)
Politico Pro: Supreme Court To Hear Case On Claims Databases
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week on a case that could upend states’ efforts to broadly collect health insurance claims in a database, a widely used tool aimed at improving transparency of health care costs. (Mershon, 11/30)
