Look No Further Than Idaho To See How Difficult It Is To Come Up With An ACA Alternative
The state chose not to expand Medicaid and has been struggling for years to come up with a system that makes sure people have access to affordable health care. Meanwhile, a new study examines why the Affordable Care Act succeeded in some states and not others.
The Washington Post:
Republicans In Idaho Tried To Design A Better Plan Than Obamacare — And Failed
Jamie Gluch lumbered into the kitchen and pulled from the freezer a bag of corn, the only affordable analgesic he had for his swollen face. ... Gluch’s tooth had rotted weeks before, but seeing a dentist was an unthinkable expense after car trouble sucked up the family’s savings. The Gluchs had hoped it wouldn’t come to this — a car or a tooth — when former president Barack Obama announced his health-care plan years ago. But then Idaho chose not to expand Medicaid, as the law allowed, and then Idahoans chose not to come up with their own plan, even though state leaders keep trying. (Samuels, 2/9)
Kaiser Health News:
What Made Obamacare Succeed In Some States? Hint: It’s Not Politics
Ask anyone about their health care and you are likely to hear about ailments, doctors, maybe costs and insurance hassles. Most people don’t go straight from “my health” to a political debate, and yet that is what our country has been embroiled in for almost a decade. A study out Thursday tries to set aside the politics to examine how the insurance markets function and what makes or breaks them in five specific states. (O'Neill, 2/10)
Sacramento Bee:
California Gets High Marks On Running Health Care Exchange
California earns top marks as a model of how health care insurance exchanges can be run, according to a Brookings Institution analysis released Thursday. The report compared California’s state-run marketplace, Covered California, with health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act in four other states: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas. Some states, like California, embraced the mandatory health program, while Texas and Florida actively opposed it, the study noted. (Buck, 2/9)
And in other news —
Los Angeles Times:
For Music's 'Medical Refugees,' Obamacare Is A Lifeline Worth Protecting
Last April, doctors told David Ponder, a 57-year-old gospel musician living near San Diego, that his heart was going to fail. He had already had quadruple bypass surgery; without a full transplant he and his music would likely die within months. Three months later, with the help of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ MusiCares charity, he had a new heart. With it came a renewed faith in his music, his beliefs — and the necessity of the Affordable Care Act. (Brown, 2/9)
The Hill:
Hospitals In Low-Income Areas Could Lose Billions In ObamaCare Repeal: Report
A hospital trade group is warning that if ObamaCare is repealed without a replacement, hospitals across the country would lose billions of dollars in funding. America’s Essential Hospitals (AEH), a trade group that represents hospitals serving low-income communities, released a report Thursday detailing $40.5 billion in potential losses from 2018 through 2026 if congressional Republicans repeal ObamaCare without a comparable replacement. (Hellmann, 2/9)
