Iowa’s New Strategy To Get Around ACA: Proclaiming That Not All Plans Are Technically Health Insurance
Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has signed a measure that allows the Iowa Farm Bureau to collaborate with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield on self-funded “health benefit plans,” which would fall outside the regulation of the health law. Experts say Iowa’s new law is legal and unlikely to draw pushback from the government, potentially creating a model for other states to follow.
The Washington Post:
Iowa Tries Another End Run Around The Affordable Care Act
As a growing number of Republican-led states look for end runs around the Affordable Care Act, Iowa is embracing a strategy that contends that not all health plans are actually health insurance. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Monday signed into law a bill allowing the century-old Iowa Farm Bureau to collaborate with the state’s dominant insurer to sell “health benefit plans,” which are expected to cost health customers less than ACA coverage because they will not have to comply with federal requirements. (Goldstein, 4/2)
The Hill:
Iowa Law Seen As Breakthrough For ObamaCare Foes
A new law in Iowa could provide the path forward for Republican-led states that are looking for ways around ObamaCare’s rules and regulations. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Monday signed a law that will allow the Iowa Farm Bureau to collaborate with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield on self-funded “health benefit plans.” (Weixel, 4/3)
Iowa Public Radio:
Reynolds Approves Unregulated Health Plans; Iowans Priced Out Of Obamacare Applaud
Iowans who are struggling to afford health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplace gathered around Gov. Kim Reynolds today as she signed legislation allowing a lower-cost, unregulated product to take the place of traditional insurance. Under the bill, the plans will not be required to cover pre-existing conditions or other mandates of Obamacare. (Russell, 4/2)
In other health law news —
Kaiser Health News:
Americans Have Mixed Feelings About The ACA’s Future — But Like Their Plans
Most Americans are happy with the insurance they buy on the individual market, yet those same people think the markets are collapsing before their eyes. A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, released Tuesday, found that 61 percent of people enrolled in marketplace plans are satisfied with their insurance choices and that a majority say they are not paying more this year compared with last year’s premium costs. (Bluth, 4/3)
Bloomberg:
What It’s Like Living Without Health Insurance In America
Some can’t afford to insure their children. Others are seeking cheaper care abroad. Some older adults are counting down the years until they qualify for Medicare. While these people are among the 27 million Americans who remain uncovered despite the large expansion of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, their stories transcend politics, reflecting tough kitchen-table decisions about health care faced by many families. (Tozzi and Ockerman, 4/3)
Politico Pro:
How Obamacare Survived Trump ‘Sabotage’
Obamacare backers predicted President Donald Trump’s decision to halt subsidy payments last fall would destroy the law. But six months later, the troubled insurance markets appear more stable than ever, and many Obamacare customers benefited from Trump’s decision in ways the law’s supporters didn’t expect. (Demko, 4/2)
