Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Newly Insured Worry About Going 'Back To The Old Way Of Doing Things'
The Associated Press: Newly Insured Fret Over Gains Made Under US Health Care Law
Dawn Erin went nearly 20 years without health insurance before the Affordable Care Act, bouncing between free clinics for frequent and painful bladder infections. The liver-destroying disease hepatitis C made her ineligible for coverage until President Barack Obama's law barred insurers from denying people with a medical condition. She has since seen a specialist who helped get her bladder infections under control, and her insurance covered about $70,000 in prescription drugs to treat hepatitis C. "I don't want to go back to the old way of doing things, worrying if I'm going to have the money to get my bladder infection treated," said the 46-year-old self-employed massage therapist from Austin, Texas. (Murphy and Kennedy, 5/28)
Nashville Tennessean: Seeing AHCA As 'Threat,' Senior Advocates Unite To Fight Health Care Plan
Advocacy groups for older Tennesseans are joining forces to oppose the health care reform plan, which as currently written disproportionately impacts seniors. More than a dozen groups began talking in early December about how to band together to establish an amplified voice for the state's older residents. They planned to launch this summer but decided to fast track those plans because it felt like time was slipping by as federal lawmakers take up an Affordable Care Act repeal bill that threatens to hit the pocketbooks of seniors across the state. (Fletcher, 5/26)
And in other Obamacare news —
Kansas City Star: Medica And Cigna Key To Obamacare After Blue KC's Exit
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is leaving the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, in 2018. So now what? Well, on the Kansas side of the metro, all eyes turn to Medica. On the Missouri side, the key player now is Cigna. (Marso, 5/26)
Kaiser Health News: Consumer Advocates Wary Of New Marketplace Rules For Brokers
Signing up for coverage on the health insurance marketplace should be easier for some people this fall because new federal rules will allow brokers and insurers to handle the entire enrollment process online, from soup to nuts. Some consumer advocates are concerned, though, that customers going this route won’t get the comprehensive, impartial plan information they need to make the best decision due to the financial self-interest of insurers and brokers. (Andrews, 5/30)
