Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Obamacare Enrollees Choose Not To Shop
The New York Times: Many Choose Not To Save In The Health Marketplace
Across the nation, millions of people who bought insurance through the exchange in this inaugural year of coverage under the health care law must decide by Monday whether to switch plans for 2015 if they want a new plan starting Jan. 1. If they do nothing, most of the 6.7 million people who remained enrolled as of last month will automatically be re-enrolled in their current plans or similar ones. More often than not, the premiums for those in the most popular plans will increase, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform. (Goodnough, 12/11)
Politico Pro: Re-Enrolling In Obamacare: Not Just About Premiums
HHS has a clear message to current Obamacare enrollees during this sign-up season: Shop ‘til your premiums drop. But some consumers who prioritized low premiums last year are feeling buyer’s remorse. (Wheaton and Pradhan, 12/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Health Insurers Brace For Last-Minute Rush
With only days to go before the deadline for consumers to choose next year’s health-law insurance plans, insurers and the federal government are bracing for what could be a crush of last-minute enrollment decisions. Of the approximately five million people who enrolled in 2014 health plans through the federal marketplace, only 720,000 had returned to the HealthCare.gov website to select a plan for 2015, according to the latest government tally through Dec. 5. Some 664,000 more people bought plans on the site for the first time. That leaves millions of enrollees who have yet to make a decision for next year. (Mathews, Radnofsky and McCabe, 12/11)
Bloomberg: Obamacare Enrollment Poised To Blow Past 9.1 Million Projection
A working website and more new customers than expected has Obamacare headed toward enrollment that will blow past the lowered projections of its managers. With the program’s first deadline looming on Dec. 15, when people who want coverage beginning Jan. 1 must sign up, little has gone wrong so far in the second enrollment season for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Technical problems have been scattered and largely resolved. Consumer interest is strong, with 1.4 million people signed up through Dec. 5 in 37 states using the federal healthcare.gov system. (Wayne, 12/12)
Earlier related coverage from Kaiser Health News: With 1.5 Million Sign-Ups So Far, Obamacare Enrollment Is Brisk (Galewitz, 12/11).
Meanwhile, HHS reminds people to sign up for coverage using 7-Eleven receipts -
The Washington Post: HHS Uses 7-Eleven Receipts To Remind People To Sign Up For Healthcare.gov
The Department of Health and Human Services will promote HealthCare.gov at the bottom of some 7-Eleven receipts in an effort to reach demographics that could be uninsured, the department announced Thursday. The department is partnering with PayNearMe, an electronic payment processing system that lets businesses process large cash payments. (Ravindranath, 12/11)
