Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obamacare Premiums Will Climb 30% On Average Next Year
The Washington Post: Average Obamacare Premiums Set To Increase By 30 Percent
Premiums for the most popular types of plans sold on the federal health insurance marketplace Healthcare.gov will spike on average by 30 percent next year, according to final rates approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and shown in documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The rise in prices — affecting up to 17 million Americans who buy coverage on the federal marketplace — are by far the largest annual premium increases in recent years. The higher premiums, along with the likely expiration of pandemic-era subsidies, mean millions of people will see their health insurance payments double or even triple in 2026. (Winfield Cunningham, 10/24)
NPR: A Health Insurance ‘Death Spiral’ Looms If Young People Drop Out As Prices Spike
Chloe Chalakani has a lot at stake in the health care fight at the heart of the government shutdown. Chalakani runs a small culinary business with her partner in the coastal town of Thomaston, Maine. As temperatures drop and the height of her busy tourist season winds down, she's hitting her list of fall administrative tasks, including health insurance enrollment. She uses CoverME.gov, the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Maine, also known as Obamacare. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/26)
NBC News: Is It Cheaper To Pay For Medical Care Without Health Insurance?
With the cost of health insurance set to rise, some Americans are asking a surprising question: Is it actually cheaper to get medical care without it? The short answer: Sometimes. But not often. And it may require a little — or a lot — of homework. Some hospitals and clinics offer self-pay or cash only discounts for patients who pay without insurance, skipping the paperwork and administrative fees that come with having coverage. Hospitals are required by federal law to make their discounted cash prices publicly available online. (Lovelace Jr., 10/26)
More on the federal shutdown —
Roll Call: USDA Says It Can't Use Contingency Fund For Food Stamps
The Agriculture Department said Friday it can’t use a special reserve fund to pay food stamp benefits during the partial government shutdown because the money is meant to be used when appropriations fall short, not when the funding doesn’t exist. (Bridges, 10/24)
The 74 Million: Parents Worry As WIC Funding Dwindles During The Government Shutdown
April Perez was 22 years old when she had her first daughter. Enrolling in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, was a lifesaver. “With her being my first child,” she said, “I was still finding my way through motherhood.” The program helped her access healthy foods for her family, get formula when she wasn’t able to produce enough breastmilk to breastfeed her daughter, and even get a referral to sign up her daughter, now 4 years old, for health insurance. (Covert, 10/25)
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH To Help SNAP Recipients If Government Shutdown Halts November Benefits
With a resolution to the government shutdown seemingly not coming any time soon, the state is planning on providing support to the more than 75,000 state residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, in the likely event November benefits are impacted. (Dario, 10/23)
The New York Times: ‘No Idea How Long People Can Hold Out’: Federal Workers Feel Brunt Of Shutdown
As the shutdown stretches toward its fifth week, those government employees are confronting an increasingly acute and stressful scenario. Their bills are mounting, and there is no clear resolution in sight. Some are turning to side hustles like delivering food, walking dogs and selling personal items to bring in a bit of income. Others are relying on food banks that have been hastily organized to provide federal workers and contractors with free groceries — efforts that community service providers say reflect a broadening food insecurity caused by the shutdown. (Sullivan and Atkins, 10/26)
Politico: Republicans Are Barreling Toward An Obamacare Subsidy Cliff — With No Unified Plan
Republicans are barreling toward the upcoming Obamacare enrollment period without a unified plan to address the sticker shock that millions of Americans are likely to experience due to the expiration of key federal subsidies. The lack of direction comes from the top, with President Donald Trump not providing clear guidance to his party on how he wants to deal with the expiring subsidies that could result in dramatic out-of-pocket price hikes for enrollees. (Gangitano, Lee Hill, McCarthy and Ward, 10/24)
The Hill: Rand Paul Suggests Bipartisan Panel To Tackle Health Subsidies Amid Shutdown
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called on President Trump to appoint a select group of bipartisan senators to a commission tasked with addressing the expiring health care subsidies — the issue at the core of the ongoing shutdown standoff. In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” the libertarian senator suggested Democrats could agree to reopen the government for a one-month period, during which the commission would formulate proposals to address the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits set to expire at the end of the year and raise health insurance premiums for millions of Americans. (Fortinsky, 10/26)
KFF Health News: Reporters Cover The Shutdown And The Use Of AI In Health Care
KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire this year and the ongoing federal shutdown on MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle” on Oct. 18. ... Rovner also discussed the shutdown and health care costs on WYPR’s “Midday” on Oct. 20. (10/25)
