Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Slow Response So Far For Special Obamacare Sign-Up Period
The Associated Press: Lukewarm Reception For New Sign-Up Period Under Health Law
About 36,000 people have taken advantage of a second chance to sign up for coverage under the president's health care law, the Obama administration said Wednesday. That's not a lot, considering that an estimated 4 million people are potentially eligible. (4/1)
Reuters: Nearly 11.7M Signed Up For Obamacare Health Insurance
Nearly 11.7 million people have either signed up or re-enrolled for insurance coverage under the U.S. healthcare reform law, more than the 9.1 million predicted by the Obama administration, health officials said on Tuesday. As of Feb. 22, about 8.8 million signed up in one of the 37 states that use online exchanges operated by the federal government and 2.85 million were in the 14 states, and Washington, D.C., that operate their own exchanges, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. (Abutaleb, 4/1)
The Washington Post's Fact Checker: Obama’s Claim The Affordable Care Act Was A ‘Major Reason’ In Preventing 50,000 Patient Deaths
Could 50,000 people have not died in hospitals because of the Affordable Care Act? That seemed rather extraordinary, even given the size of the United States. We’ve spent time digging around on this issue and here are the results of our inquiry. It turns out that preventing hospital-related deaths is one of the least controversial aspects of the much-attacked law. (Kessler, 4/1)
The Associated Press: Are State Innovation Waivers The Future Of Health Care Reform?
Beginning in 2017, states will be able to apply for waivers for flexibility in implementing many of the Affordable Care Act's key requirements -- an opportunity that some see as a catalyst for health reform. The promise of broad flexibility under such waivers could be particularly appealing to states that have been reluctant to back the ACA and its requirements. In fact, some stakeholders argue that such waivers should be made available as early as this year so states can begin making progress. (Stuckey, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Economist Jonathan Gruber Backs U.S. On Health-Law Subsidies
Jonathan Gruber, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist whose comments about the U.S. health law earlier had ignited a political furor, says federal subsidies to lower insurance premiums were intended for all those who qualify, regardless of whether they get coverage through a state or federal exchange. A suit before the Supreme court seeks to halt the use of tax credits to offset the cost of insurance premiums for residents in about three dozen states that don’t operate their own insurance exchanges and use the federal HealthCare.gov website instead. Challengers in the case argue the law allows the tax credits only for insurance buyers in states with their own exchanges—currently just 13 states and the District of Columbia. (Armour, 4/1)
Meanwhile, stories look at where Romneycare fell short and the impact of Medicaid expansion on the Cleveland Clinic -
The Washington Post's Wonkblog: Where Romneycare Fell Short — And What That Could Mean For Obamacare
The landmark 2006 Massachusetts health-care law that inspired the federal overhaul didn't lead to a reduction in unnecessary and costly hospitalizations, and it didn't make the health-care system more fair for minority groups, according to a new study that may hold warnings for the Affordable Care Act. Massachusetts’ uninsured rate was cut by half to 6 percent in the years immediately following the health-care law signed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney. Blacks and Hispanics, who have a harder time accessing necessary medical care, experienced the largest gains in insurance coverage under the Massachusetts law, though they still were more likely to be uninsured than whites. (Millman, 4/1)
Kaiser Health News: Cleveland Clinic Reports 40% Drop In Charity Care After Medicaid Expansion
The Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest hospitals in the country, has cut its charity care spending — or the cost of free care provided to patients who can’t afford to pay — to $101 million in 2014 compared with $171 million in 2013. Hospital officials credited the federal health law for the improvement. “The decrease in charity care is primarily attributable to the increase in Medicaid patients due to the expansion of Medicaid eligibility in the State of Ohio and the resulting decrease in the number of charity patients,” the hospital’s year-end financial statement reported. (Tribble, 4/2)
