Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly 17 Million Americans Gained Coverage Through Health Law, Study Shows
Los Angeles Times: New Study Gives More Evidence Of Obamacare Gains For Millions
As congressional Republicans move toward another vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act, new evidence was published Wednesday about the dramatic expansion of insurance coverage made possible by the law. Nearly 17 million more people in the U.S. have gained health insurance since the law's major coverage expansion began, according to a study from the Rand Corp., a Santa Monica nonprofit research firm. (Levey, 5/6)
CBS News: 17 Million Gain Coverage Under Obamacare
As a result of the landmark health-reform law known as the Affordable Care Act, nearly 17 million previously uninsured Americans now have health coverage, a new analysis reveals. (Reinberg, 5/6)
NBC News: Nearly 17 Million Americans Covered Under Obamacare
Nearly 17 million Americans got health insurance under the Affordable Care Act after the new insurance exchanges opened up, according to an independent analysis published Wednesday. (Fox, 5/6)
Forbes: ACA Triggers Net Gain Of 16.9M More Insured Americans
The Affordable Care Act has been a catalyst for a net increase of 16.9 million Americans gaining health insurance in the last two years via Medicaid expansion and subsidized private coverage with even more people accessing employer-sponsored plans. A new study by the RAND Corp., which looked at a sampling of 1,600 Americans and their “transitions” to and from forms of health coverage between September 2013 and February 2015 and found 22.8 million Americans gained coverage. There were 5.9 million people who also lost coverage, leaving a net increase of 16.9 million, according to the analysis, published in the journal Health Affairs. (Jaspen, 5/6)
In state health law news, a study finds California's exchange offers narrower hospital networks than commercial insurers. And Kansas is set to launch its first accountable care organization -
California Healthline: Study: Quality, Access Not Affected By Covered California Narrow Networks
Health plans offered through Covered California have narrower hospital networks than commercial insurance plans but they don’t appear to have lower-quality providers or differences in geographic access, according to a study published in the May issue of Health Affairs. (Vesely, 5/6)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Kansas ACO Launches This Week
Accountability means taking responsibility for an action or result. Lately, it’s taken on a new connotation in the field of health care. The Affordable Care Act provides a way for health care networks to get bonus payments by providing better care and keeping Medicare patients healthier through accountable care organizations that are about to have a larger presence in Kansas. (Thompson, 5/6)
Future doctors are also feeling the impact of ACA changes through the ways they are taught -
California Healthline: The ACA Is Changing How Students Become Doctors
From the Medical College Admissions Test to post-graduate residencies, the way U.S. doctors are taught is changing in the wake of health care reform. (Stockey, 5/6)
