Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Democrats To Target Trump's Expansion Of 'Junk Insurance' Plans
Politico: Senate Democrats Seek To Reverse Trump's Regulations On Health Care, Taxes, Environment
Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats will pursue a series of votes in the coming weeks to roll back some of President Donald Trump’s regulations on health care, taxes and the environment. ... Senate Democrats will also force votes on rolling back the administration’s greenlighting skimpier health care plans that do not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. They will also hit back at regulations preventing workarounds to part of the 2017 tax cut law, which put a $10,000 ceiling on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes, a limit that’s largely affected taxpayers in New York, New Jersey and California, along with a few other states. (Everett and Adragna, 10/10)
Modern Healthcare: States Take Back Control Of Their ACA Marketplaces
More states are taking control of their health insurance marketplaces to take advantage of cost savings, increase their autonomy, and support wide-ranging health reform efforts, according to a new report Thursday. Several states are planning or mulling a move from HealthCare.gov, a federal health insurance marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act to help individuals find coverage, to state-run platforms. Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Oregon are among the states thinking about making the switch. (Brady, 10/10)
And in other ACA and insurance news —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ACA Marketplaces In Wisconsin Will Have More Options Next Year
People who buy health insurance on their own in Wisconsin will have more choices next year on the marketplaces set up through the Affordable Care Act, according to the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. The increase is a sign that the market for health insurance sold directly to individuals and families is stabilizing after years of turmoil. (Boulton, 10/10)
Modern Healthcare: High Insurance Deductibles Lead COPD Patients To Skip Care
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were enrolled in private high-deductible health plans more frequently reported putting off or skipping care and ending up in the hospital or emergency department than patients without high deductibles, according to a new study. Those with high deductibles were also more likely to report struggling to pay monthly bills and report family out-of-pocket healthcare costs that exceeded $5,000 in a year, Harvard Medical School researchers wrote in the study published Thursday in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. (Livingston, 10/10)
