Insurers’ Exit From Marketplaces Could Play Into Ariz. Senate Race
The expected loss of United plans and some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans could leave parts of Arizona with very little choice, and that could reignite the debate on the health law in the Senate campaign, some political analysts predict. Also in news on the health law, Minnesota weighs contracting out the technical work for the marketplace and a Republican group renews its suggestions on how to replace the health law.
The Arizona Republic:
Why Affordable Care Act Could Become Key Issue In Arizona's Senate Race
A potential shakeup in Arizona's Affordable Care Act marketplaces is resurrecting President Barack Obama's 2010 health-care law as a political issue in this year's U.S. Senate race. The developments mean customers will have fewer subsidized plans to pick from next year, and in some rural counties, they could have no options at all. UnitedHealthcare, the national insurance giant, on Tuesday signaled that it intends to abandon Arizona's Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2017. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, the only other insurer to offer plans in all of Arizona’s 15 counties, also is considering pulling out of some areas. (Nowicki, 4/24)
The St. Paul Pioneer Press:
MNsure Weighs Outsourcing Tech Functions
After years of struggling with bug-ridden computer systems, MNsure leaders are beginning to consider another path: paying someone else to handle the health insurance exchange’s technology. (Montgomery, 4/22)
The Hill:
GOP Group Submits ObamaCare Replacement Plan
The conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) on Friday submitted its recommendations for a Republican replacement for ObamaCare as it seeks to shape a plan being formed by a group of House chairmen. ... The proposal would replace ObamaCare’s refundable tax credits with a tax deduction, which tends to provide less help to low-income people by reducing the taxes people owe rather than allowing for the possibility of getting money back in a refund. ... The law would undo ObamaCare’s provision that bars insurance companies from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions and instead set up a system of high-risk pools for them. By repealing ObamaCare, the measure would also undo the law’s expansion of Medicaid, which has provided much of the coverage gains that have led to an estimated 20 million people gaining insurance from ObamaCare. (Sullivan, 4/22)
