Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obamacare Changes, Stimulus Top Pelosi's Agenda If Dems Retain House
The Hill: Pelosi Says Democrats Would Fast-Track ObamaCare, COVID-19 Aid Next Year
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Monday that, given control of both chambers of Congress next year, Democrats intend to fast-track legislation to strengthen ObamaCare and provide coronavirus relief. To do so, they would lean on a special budget procedure, known as reconciliation, that empowers the majority party in the Senate to move legislation with just a simple majority — a move that would erase the minority party's filibuster powers. (Lillis, 11/2)
Politico: Pelosi Eyes Reconciliation To Boost Obamacare, Pandemic Aid
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said Democrats will deploy budget reconciliation procedures next year to enhance the Affordable Care Act and provide additional pandemic relief if the party secures a narrow majority in the Senate, wins the White House and maintains control of the House. “We’ll almost certainly be passing a reconciliation bill, not only for the Affordable Care Act, but for what we may want to do further on the pandemic and some other issues that relate to the well-being of the American people,” Pelosi said on a call sponsored by the liberal group Protect Our Care. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments next week in the Trump administration’s push to overturn the health care law. (Emma, 11/2)
In related news about the Affordable Care Act —
The Hill: ObamaCare Enrollment Faces New Challenges From Courts, COVID-19
The Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment period kicked off Sunday amidst uncertainty caused by legal challenges to the law as well as the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of people have lost their health coverage this year after losing their jobs in the economic downturn caused by the health pandemic. Open enrollment risks being overshadowed by the disruptions caused by the pandemic, elections, and the Supreme Court’s pending oral arguments and eventual decision in a case challenging the ACA’s constitutionality. (Hellmann, 11/2)
The Washington Post: The Health 202: Obamacare Marketplaces Survived Trump's Term Better Than Expected
“The overall impact of the Trump administration’s policies towards the marketplaces have probably been more muted than most expected — at least so far,” said Adam Gaffney, a professor at Harvard Medical School and president of Physicians for a National Health Program. To the concern of health-care advocates, enrollment has ticked down over the past four years, contributing to the nation’s worsening uninsured rate amid the coronavirus pandemic and fueling a growing sense among Democrats that further health restructuring is needed. Yet by some measures, the marketplaces look healthier than ever. (Cunningham, 11/2)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Health Insurance Plans Available Under Affordable Care Act In Nevada
Beginning this week, uninsured Nevadans can enroll for health coverage on the state-operated exchange, which this year features more carriers and plans. The enrollment period began Sunday and extends through Jan. 15. Insurance plans are available through online marketplace Nevada Health Link to those who don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare or don’t have insurance through an employer. (Hynes, 11/2)
KHN: Feds Approve Fractious Georgia Plan To Change ACA Marketplace
With the Trump administration announcing two days before Election Day that Georgia’s healthcare.gov website will no longer provide options for residents shopping for plans starting in 2022, consumers will need to rely on private brokers, insurance companies, agents and commercial websites. Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who pushed the plan, argued that this would give private entities an opening to aggressively advertise and compete for consumers and increase the number of plans sold for 2023. (Rau, 11/3)
