Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ryan Calls For End To Health Law's Premium-Cost Protections For People Who Are Ill
Reuters: Ryan Wants To End Obamacare Cost Protections For Sick Consumers
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan called on Wednesday for an end to Obamacare's financial protections for people with serious medical conditions, saying these consumers should be placed in state high-risk pools. In election-year remarks that could shed light on an expected Republican healthcare alternative, Ryan said existing federal policy that prevents insurers from charging sick people higher rates for health coverage has raised costs for healthy consumers while undermining choice and competition. (Morgan, 4/27)
The Associated Press: Significant Premium Hikes Expected Under Obama Health Law
Expect insurers to seek significant premium increases under President Barack Obama’s health care law, in a wave of state-level requests rippling across the country ahead of the political conventions this summer. Insurers say the law’s coverage has been a financial drain for many of them, and they’re setting the stage for 2017 hikes that in some cases could reach well into the double digits. For example in Virginia, a state that reports early, nine insurers returning to the HealthCare.gov marketplace are seeking average premium increases that range from 9.4 percent to 37.1 percent. Those initial estimates filed with the state may change. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Murphy, 4/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Anthem’s Affordable Care Act Enrollments Grew More Than Expected
Anthem Inc. said its enrollment through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges grew more than expected in the first months of the year. The company said it is still targeting a slim positive margin on the business this year, striking a guardedly optimistic tone about the marketplaces amid questions about their sustainability. The No. 2 U.S. health insurer said it had 975,000 exchange enrollees at the end of the first quarter, up by around 184,000 since the end of the year. The increase drew sharp questions from analysts after UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s recent announcement that it would withdraw from all but a handful of the exchanges after steepening losses. (Wilde Mathews and Steele, 4/27)
The Associated Press: Anthem Expects A Profit This Year From ACA Exchanges
Health insurer Anthem (ANTM) aims to pull a small profit this year from the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges, and its CEO said Wednesday he's "really glad" to be serving nearly 1 million people in this still-developing market. (4/27)
Bloomberg: Anthem Falls As Medicaid, Obamacare Results Pressure Margins
Anthem Inc., the No. 2 U.S. health insurer, fell in New York trading as costs tied to its Medicaid and Affordable Care Act businesses pressured margins. ... While the Affordable Care Act has helped companies like Anthem add paying customers, those new members have often had higher-than-expected medical costs. Anthem said it’s taking a cautious posture on booking profits from plans sold in the ACA’s exchanges and probably won’t reach its margin target of 3 percent to 5 percent until 2018. (Tracer, 4/27)
Kaiser Health News: Democrats Increasingly Want Expansion Of Health Law, Poll Finds
When Democrats fault the Affordable Care Act, it’s increasingly because it does not go far enough, a poll released Thursday shows. The results come as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has repeatedly derided the law for including too many concessions to the private health care industry and costing consumers too much. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 51 percent of Democrats want to expand the law, a 15 point increase since December. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) (Rau, 4/28)
