Millennials Seen As Antidote To Health Law Woes, But They’re Not Interested In Being Its Saviors
The Obama administration is actively targeting young adults who have not enrolled in the exchanges in the numbers needed to balance out the costlier older population. Meanwhile, the president talks about his signature law's "real problems," but says they're fixable with help from Congress.
Politico:
Obamacare’s Millennial Problem
The 18- to 34-year-olds who helped elect Barack Obama could consign his signature domestic policy achievement to failure. That’s because not enough millennials have signed up for Obamacare to make it work well. Despite repeated outreach — including entreaties from all manner of celebrities, including NBA stars and Obama himself — young people make up less than 30 percent of Obamacare customers. The White House had set a goal of 40 percent in that age bracket to sustain a healthy marketplace because millennials tend to be healthier and, therefore, balance the costs of sicker, older customers. (Pradhan and Demko, 10/4)
Morning Consult:
Obama: Affordable Care Act Has ‘Real Problems’
President Obama says his signature domestic policy, the Affordable Care Act, needs some fixes. “In my mind the [Affordable Care Act] has been a huge success, but it’s got real problems,” Obama said in an interview with New York Magazine published Sunday. ... In the interview, Obama suggested ways the marketplace could be improved: “They’re eminently fixable problems in terms of strengthening the marketplace, improving the subsidies so more folks can get it, making sure everybody has Medicaid who was qualified under the original legislation, doing more on the cost containment,” he said. (McIntire, 10/3)
Bloomberg:
Obama Says Obamacare Has ‘Real Problems’ Congress Refuses to Fix
President Barack Obama said his signature health-care law has “real problems” that have been exacerbated by congressional gridlock and political polarization. (Olorunnipa, 10/3)
In other health law news —
The Washington Post:
Maryland’s ACA Health Co-Op Will Switch To For-Profit To Save Itself
Evergreen Health, Maryland’s version of the innovative nonprofit insurers created under the Affordable Care Act, decided Monday to become a for-profit company to avoid the possibility of a shutdown, according to its chief executive. If the switch is approved as expected by federal and state officials, Evergreen’s unprecedented move will leave standing only five of the 23 co-ops, or Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, which started nearly three years ago. (Goldstein, 10/3)
The Baltimore Sun:
Evergreen Health To Be Acquired, Convert To For-Profit Insurance Company
Evergreen Health, once considered among the most successful of the health insurance co-ops formed under the federal Affordable Care Act, will be acquired by a consortium of private investors and converted to a for-profit insurance company, its CEO, Dr. Peter Beilenson, said Monday. (Gantz, 10/3)
The Hill:
Feds Move To Throw Out ObamaCare Lawsuits
The Obama administration is seeking to toss out a pair of high-profile healthcare lawsuits in which insurers claim they are owed millions of dollars under the Affordable Care Act. The two insurers, Moda Healthcare and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, have sued the federal government over a combined $338 million in ObamaCare payments they argue are overdue. (Ferris, 10/3)
Kaiser Health News:
Health Law Targets Women’s Preventive Services, But It Offers Help To Men, Too
The drafters of the health law paid special attention to women’s preventive health needs, creating additional recommendations targeted specifically at them. This was done in part to address recognized gaps in women’s services, especially in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, said Adam Sonfield, senior policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy organization. (Andrews, 10/4)
