Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Part B Premiums Set To Rise About $18 Per Month In 2026
Stat: Medicare Premiums To Jump 10% In 2026
Most Medicare enrollees will face premiums that are 10% higher next year, creating budget anxiety for millions of seniors. Older adults and people with disabilities will pay almost $203 per month in 2026 for their Medicare Part B premium, the Trump administration said late Friday. That’s about 10% higher than the $185 per month that Medicare beneficiaries pay this year. (Herman, 11/14)
On ACA costs and coverage —
The Hill: Dr. Mehmet Oz: Trump Administration Weighing Affordable Care Act Subsidies Extension
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said Sunday the Trump administration is holding “discussions” on extending subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “There are discussions around extending the subsidies, if we deal with the fraud, waste and abuse that, right now, is paralyzing the system,” Oz told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” (Rego, 11/16)
Politico: Congress’ Obamacare Subsidy Vote Could Set Off State Scramble
The nation’s 20 state Obamacare exchanges appear poised to quickly update premiums if Congress passes a straightforward extension of enhanced subsidies when it votes on the matter next month. But there’s another, increasingly likely scenario that could catch them flat-footed. That’s if lawmakers decide to go a different route – for example, by paying the subsidies directly to consumers, a plan touted by President Donald Trump, or changing the eligibility rules by adding an income cap, which many conservatives would like to see. (King, 11/16)
Politico: Trump’s Broadside Against Health Insurers Is A Cautionary Tale For Industry
Insurers and drug companies facing dire threats to their bottom lines this year from President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress had to make a choice: Stand and fight, or go to ground and cut some deals. Insurers fought in a bid to kill the threat; drugmakers cut deals to mitigate the damage. The early results are revealing. (Chu, 11/16)
MedPage Today: Do HSAs Make Insurance More Affordable? AMA Delegates Are Split On The Issue
Are health savings accounts (HSAs) a good way to make health insurance more affordable? And if so, should the funds currently being used to expand Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits be used to fund HSAs instead? Those are some of the questions members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates were wrestling with Saturday during their interim meeting here. (Frieden, 11/16)
Asheville Watchdog: “There’s No Way”: Huge ACA Premium Hikes Force Buncombe Policyholders To Make Hard Choices, Including Dropping Coverage
Virginia Gilbert was shocked and angry after she learned last week that premiums for her Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance policy will more than double next year, jumping from $930 to $2,042. She was freshly outraged after U.S. senators reached an agreement this week to end the six-week government shutdown without securing an extension of enhanced premium tax credits for ACA-backed plans. (DeWitt, 11/15)
Also —
The Washington Post: Cheap Health Insurance Plans Touted By Trump Lack Comprehensive Coverage
Robert Hays, an industrial electronics salesman in Arkansas, thought he’d purchased conventional medical insurance. So did Essie Nath, 67, a retired cafeteria worker in Wyoming. So did Martin Liz, 47, a Key West chef. Each enrolled in the kind of private health insurance that Trump administration officials have promoted as an alternative to plans sold under Obamacare. (Whoriskey, 11/15)
Politico: Health Insurer Horizon Settles With New Jersey For $100M Stemming From Health Care Overpayment Allegations
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin on Friday announced a $100 million settlement with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey claiming that the insurer fraudulently overcharged the state for health care on its public employee health plans. The announcement from Platkin stems from Horizon’s contract with the state to administer its multibillion-dollar public worker health insurance programs, which provides health insurance to around 750,000 New Jerseyans. (Han, 11/14)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Untangle Issues Of Health Care Costs And Food Benefits
KFF Health News Southern California correspondent Claudia Boyd-Barrett discussed rising health care premiums on KPFA’s “Up Front” on Nov. 13. (11/15)
