Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Record 14.5 Million Americans Enrolled In ACA Plan This Year
Reuters: U.S. Signs Up More Than 14.5 Mln People For Obamacare Health Insurance
More than 14.5 million Americans signed up for Obamacare health insurance for 2022, a 21% jump over last year and the highest since the Affordable Care Act was signed 12 years ago, the U.S. government said on Wednesday. About 10.3 million people enrolled from the 33 U.S. states that use the online marketplace funded by the federal government and about 4.3 million people from states that sell the insurance directly to their residents. (2/23)
CNN: Obamacare: Low-Income Americans Now Can Sign Up For $0 Premium Plans On Federal Exchange
Low-income Americans who missed signing up for 2022 Affordable Care Act coverage can now enroll in plans with $0 premiums through the federal exchange's website. Those with incomes less than 150% of the federal poverty level -- $19,320 for an individual and $39,750 for a family of four -- can select policies on healthcare.gov through a special enrollment period, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told CNN exclusively on Monday. Most people will be able to select plans with no premiums, while others may have to pay a few dollars. (Luhby, 3/21)
Also —
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Turns 12 With Record Enrollment, But Trouble Ahead
When President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law 12 years ago, Vice President Joe Biden was famously overheard telling his boss that the occasion was a “big f—ing deal.” Today, despite a rocky start, the ACA boasts record enrollment, thanks in no small part to President Joe Biden’s effort to expand coverage in the first year of his administration amid the Covid-19 pandemic. To top it off, Republican efforts to overturn the law seem to have run out of gas, a situation noted by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Larry Levitt, who wrote that there are “no meaningful political or legal threats to its existence for the first time since its passage.” (Rainey, 3/23)
Politico: Joe Biden’s Never-Ending Campaign To Build On Obamacare
In the dwindling time Joe Biden has to revive his domestic agenda, one thing is clear: Even if he succeeds, it will be a far cry from completing one big unfinished task he promised to tackle. That task was delivering on the full promise of Obamacare, the national health care reform law enacted in 2010 while Biden was vice president. His vow to expand and strengthen it was a central theme of his presidential campaign, and part of how he distinguished himself from his challengers in the 2020 primary. (Kenen, 3/23)
In related news about President Biden's health care agenda —
Politico: With Democrats' Health Agenda Stalled, Lawmakers Turn To Insulin
Democrats who have hit a wall on achieving sweeping drug price reforms during what could be their final months controlling Congress are pushing a narrower policy fix they hope will bolster the midterm fortunes of key members. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced a plan on Tuesday to bring legislation to the floor just after Easter that would cap the out-of-pocket cost for insulin products at $35 per month and take other steps to extend relief to diabetics, a bumper-sticker-ready plan that would deliver on at least some of the Democrats’ promises to tackle health costs. (Ollstein, 3/23)
Houston Chronicle: Texas And Biden’s White House Locked In $30 Billion ‘Game Of Chicken’ Over Medicaid Funding
Nearly a year after the Biden administration revoked approval of billions in future Medicaid dollars for Texas, state and federal officials are at an impasse over the safety net funding, with a deadline looming Friday. The money, funneled through what’s known as an 1115 waiver, has brought more than $30 billion to Texas since its start in 2012 and now accounts for nearly a third of the state’s Medicaid budget. Those dollars primarily prop up hospitals for emergency care to patients without government or private insurance. (Blackman, 3/23)
