Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Than A Thousand Counties Could Be Left With Only One ACA Insurer Option Next Year
USA Today: Some Counties Are At Risk Of Having No Insurers For The Self Employed.
More than 1,370 counties now have only one insurer that will sell on the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year, while about 40 have none, an analysis of the latest data by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and USA TODAY shows. (O'Donnell, 7/2)
The Nashville Tennessean: Oscar Health Could Be Nashville's Last Shot At Health Marketplace
A New York-based insurance company, Oscar Health, announced last week it will sell individual health plans in Nashville in 2018. This is welcome news for many local healthcare consumers, who were down to just one choice for individual health insurance. (Tolbert, 6/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Insurers’ Policy Warnings Raise Stakes In Health Fight
Hundreds of thousands of consumers across the country are getting letters from insurers warning that their health plans bought under the Affordable Care Act will be terminated at year-end, raising alarm at a politically sensitive moment when Senate Republicans are struggling to craft their own health-care legislation. (Wilde Mathews and Evans, 6/30)
The Associated Press: Centene To Fill Missouri Insurance Void Left By Blue Cross
Health insurer Centene Corp. said Friday that the nearly 40 Missouri counties where it will launch coverage on Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges next year include roughly two dozen that would otherwise have been without an insurer. Missouri-based Centene Corp.'s announcement Friday came 17 days after it said it would foray into the Missouri exchanges even as others are either withdrawing from such markets or proposing steep price hikes to remain. Consumer rights advocates celebrated the announcement, saying something is better than nothing. (6/30)
