Ohio Working Quietly To Wiggle Out Of ACA Mandates
Ohio is seeking waivers for the individual and employer mandates in the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Colorado is expected to announce its premium increases today, and residents have been warned to be braced for sharp hikes.
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Ohio Is Trying To Get Out Of Obamacare Requirements
With little fanfare, Ohio is working on a request to President Trump's administration to end the Obamacare requirement that everyone have health insurance, as well as the mandate requiring employers to provide it. Ohio is trying to develop an alternative for its residents and get what's called an innovation waiver, cleveland.com has confirmed. In theory, the alternative would keep a majority of Ohioans covered, yet somehow do it without one of the very cornerstones of the Affordable Care Act. (Koff, 7/14)
Denver Post:
Colorado Officials Expected To Announce Proposed Health Insurance Premium Increases Friday
Colorado’s health insurance system faces a day of reckoning Friday, when the state Division of Insurance is scheduled to release details of the plans proposed for the individual insurance market in 2018. The individual plans are purchased by the 6 or 7 percent of Coloradans who shop for insurance on their own. More than 80 percent of Coloradans receive health coverage either through their employers or through the government. (Ingold, 7/13)
In other marketplace and industry news —
Nashville Tennessean:
With ACA Uncertainty, Consider These Health Insurance Alternatives
The uncertain repeal of the Affordable Care Act makes it hard for consumers to plan ahead for their health insurance needs. But in Tennessee, some consumers can take advantage of nontraditional coverage options. These ACA alternatives include MediShare, underwritten health plans and direct primary care.These types of plans allow consumers to access healthcare outside of ACA insurance, which could insulate consumers from disruption if the law is repealed. (Tolbert, 7/13)
Marketplace:
Health Insurance Comes At A Cost But So Does Not Having It
As the the newly revised Senate health care bill is floundering and Americans still have no clarity on what will happen to health care policy in the U.S., we check in with East Hannon, Connecticut resident Bradley Gawthrop. We last talked with Gawthrop, who at the time was working as a pipe organ builder in Johnson City, Tennessee, when the Affordable Care Act was still being argued over in court. (Ryssal and Hollenhorst, 7/13)
