Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Stubborn Resilience Of The Affordable Care Act
The New York Times: Obamacare Is Proving Hard To Kill
As health insurers across the country begin filing their proposed rates for 2019, one thing is clear: The market created by the Affordable Care Act shows no signs of imminent collapse in spite of the continuing threats by Republicans to destroy it. In fact, while President Trump may insist that the law has been “essentially gutted,” the A.C.A. market appears to be more robust than ever, according to insurance executives and analysts. A few states are likely to see a steep spike in prices next year, but many are reporting much more modest increases. Insurers don’t appear to be abandoning markets altogether. In contrast to last year, regulators are not grappling with the prospect of so-called “bare” counties, where no carrier is willing to sell A.C.A. policies in a given area. (Abelson, 7/3)
In other news on the health law —
Modern Healthcare: Agents And Brokers Flee ACA Exchanges Despite Trump Administration Support
The number of registered brokers and agents who help people sign up for coverage through the federal ACA insurance exchange continued to decline in 2018, despite the CMS' efforts to encourage their participation by making it easier for them to sign up customers during open enrollment. The number of agents and brokers participating in the Affordable Care Act open enrollment for 2018 dropped 24.8% to 49,100 from more than 65,300 during open enrollment for 2017 coverage, according to a CMS report released Monday. Since open enrollment for 2016 coverage, the number of registered agents and brokers has fallen by 38.3%. (Livingston, 7/3)
The Star Tribune: Subsidies Drive Consumer Decisions On ACA Coverage
As premiums spiked in 2017, the market where people buy their own health insurance saw a significant decline in enrollment among those who don't qualify for federal subsidies. That is the conclusion of a new federal report that finds the number of unsubsidized individual-market enrollees in the U.S. dropped last year by about 1.27 million people, or roughly 20 percent. (Snowbeck, 7/3)
