Obamacare Enrollment Is Trending Up, With Almost 50M Onboard Since 2014
About 21 million Americans have signed up for a plan this year, an analysis shows. Major subsidies have played a role in propping up the numbers, but now Congress must decide whether to extend them. Also, a look at where the presidential candidates stand on the law.
The New York Times:
Almost 50 Million Americans Have Had An Obamacare Plan Since 2014
Nearly 50 million Americans have been covered by health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces since they opened a decade ago, according to tax data analyzed by the Treasury Department and published on Tuesday. Federal officials said that the findings represent roughly one in seven U.S. residents, a broad swath of the population that underscores the vast, and seemingly irreversible, reach of the 2010 law. (Weiland, 9/10)
Managed Healthcare Executive:
The Affordable Care Act: A Strong Card For Harris And The Democrats As Trump Says He Can Improve Upon It
Many provisions of the Affordable Care Act are popular and the healthcare reform law has brought the proportion of Americans without healthcare insurance down to an all-time low. As president, Donald Trump backed "repeal and replace" efforts. (Kaplan, 9/9)
KFF Health News:
ACA Enrollment Platforms Suspended Over Alleged Foreign Access To Consumer Data
Suspicions that U.S. consumers’ personal information could be accessed from India led regulators to abruptly bar two large private sector enrollment websites from accessing the Affordable Care Act marketplace in August. New details about the suspensions come in legal filings made late Friday stemming from an effort by the two to regain access to the Obamacare marketplace before the upcoming ACA open enrollment period, which starts Nov. 1. (Appleby, 9/10)
Health insurance updates from Florida, Texas, Maryland, Connecticut, Oregon, and California —
Healthcare Dive:
Elevance Expands ACA Plans In Florida, Texas, Maryland
Elevance subsidiary Wellpoint is launching new Affordable Care Act plans in Florida, Maryland and Texas, as the health insurer continues investing in an increasingly lucrative business line. (Pifer, 9/9)
The CT Mirror:
Cost To Rise For Health Plans Sold On And Off Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act Exchange
The cost of individual health plans sold on and off Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act Exchange will rise by an average of 5.9% next year, less than insurers had requested — but an amount still considered “unaffordable and unsustainable” by the state’s attorney general when coupled with previous years’ increases. Small group policies will go up by an average of 7.8%. (Carlesso, 9/9)
Oregon Capital Chronicle:
Individual, Small Company Health Insurance Plans Will Cost Hundreds More A Year
The price of individual and small business health insurance plans will jump again next year — and two by double digits that could leave people paying nearly $700 more a year for their monthly premiums. After seeking public comment, officials with the state Division of Financial Regulation said Thursday they approved an average 8% rate hike for individual plans sold on the federal marketplace — just 1% lower than what the companies requested earlier this year. The division also approved an average 12% rise for small company plans, which basically was what the companies had requested, according to figures published Thursday. (Terry, 9/6)
KCRA:
What Is Prop 35? Makes A Permanent Tax On Health Insurance Providers
Proposition 35 asks California voters to make permanent a tax on health insurance providers, also known as managed care organizations. The measure also sets rules around how the state uses the money collected from that tax. California has expanded those who are eligible for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Healthcare providers have complained the state reimburses doctors, nurse practitioners and others too little for providing services to Medi-Cal patients. The measure requires the state to use the money collected from the tax to be used only to reimburse those Medi-Cal providers for primary, specialty and emergency care plus family planning, mental health and prescription drugs. (Zavala, 9/9)
