Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Exchanges Report Enrollment Figures
The Boston Globe: Health Care Site Has A Few Glitches
A small number of people are having trouble completing the enrollment process for health insurance, even as the Massachusetts Health Connector logs ever-growing numbers of paid enrollees, reaching 55,260 by Dec. 30. (Freyer, 1/6)
The Baltimore Sun: Health Exchange Enrolls More Than 156,000 People
The Maryland health exchange reported Monday that 156,305 people had signed up for public and private insurance during open enrollment, which lasts until Feb. 15. The exchange, created under the Affordable Care Act for people who do not get insurance through employers, enrolled more than 87,000 in private plans. Like last year, the bulk picked plans offered by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. (Cohn, 1/5)
Minnesota Public Radio: MNsure Touts Health Plan Sign-Ups, Says It's On Track To Meet Goal
MNsure ended 2014 with 31,159 people enrolling in private health insurance and officials with the insurance exchange say they're on track to meet their goal of enrolling at least 67,000 people in commercial plans this year. (Zdechlik, 1/5)
California Healthline: Covered California Board About To Get Makeover
Three of the five Covered California Board of Directors seats are about to get newly appointed occupants in a shift that could have significant influence on the future of the four-year-old health insurance exchange. (Lauer, 1/5)
Other news outlets report on how the health law and enrollment are impacting the health care marketplace -
Modern Healthcare: How Obamacare Is Affecting Health Insurance Enrollment
Obamacare has expanded health insurance to millions of Americans, and the latest enrollment data show that the individual and managed Medicaid markets have ballooned the most over the past year. (Herman, 1/5)
Politico Pro: State High-Risk Pools Still In Business
State high-risk pools were supposed to phase out when Obamacare went into full gear. That hasn’t exactly happened. Sixteen are still providing coverage, and some may operate well into 2015 as a potential backup option should the Supreme Court strip the law’s premium subsidies in states with federal-run exchanges, says the head of the pools’ trade association. (Pradhan, 1/6)
And, on the Medicaid front -
NPR: 3 States Counter Obama's Proposal For Medicaid Expansion
States have a year to get full funding for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. The governors of Utah, Wyoming and Montana are trying to get the money but their legislators may derail the efforts. (Whitney, 1/6)
