Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Move To Slash Outreach Budget May Have Drastic Effect On Enrollment, Analysts Project
The Hill: 1.1 Million Fewer People Could Sign Up For ObamaCare This Year Due To Trump Funding Cuts
The Trump administration's funding cuts to ObamaCare's advertising budget could result in at least 1.1 million fewer people signing up for coverage this year, according to an analysis released Monday. "The threat to Open Enrollment this year is very real," wrote Josh Peck, the author of the analysis, who served as healthcare.gov's chief marketing officer during the Obama administration. (Hellmann, 10/23)
Kaiser Health News: Enrollment News To Bank On: Obamacare Is Still Here So It’s Time For Coverage Checkup
The open enrollment period begins in one week for 2018 marketplace coverage, but many consumers are confused about what to expect. No wonder! The Trump administration has slashed advertising and outreach about open enrollment, so concrete consumer information is sparse. But there’s more than enough political rhetoric to make up for it, with regular partisan pronouncements that the marketplaces have collapsed and Obamacare is dead. (Andrews, 10/24)
Meanwhile, in the states —
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Officials Consider Higher Obamacare Rates After Federal Subsidies Cut
Maryland insurance regulators said Monday they were working to minimize the pain from last-minute rate increases for those buying plans sold under the Affordable Care Act by limiting the increases to certain consumers. The proposed rate hikes became necessary last week when the Trump administration announced it would no longer pay a subsidy that insurers rely on to offset the out-of-pocket costs for some low-income consumers. The decision set off a scramble to figure out how to shore up insurance companies, which had already reported millions in losses on so-called Obamacare plans sold to individuals. (Cohn, 10/23)
San Jose Mercury News: California Lawmakers Kick Off Healthcare Hearings
As California health care officials brace themselves for changes to the Affordable Care Act by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, state lawmakers today and Tuesday will hold a hearing examining the gaps in coverage and financing of California’s current system. (Seipel, 10/23)
The CT Mirror: Obamacare Open Enrollment To Begin Amid Shaky Insurance Market
Open enrollment for health care coverage next year begins next week amid uncertainty over the future of the Affordable Care Act and big increases in premiums for individuals and businesses that do not qualify for subsidies. Nevertheless, the health care law is still in effect and those required to enroll in a plan will face increasing penalties by the Internal Revenue Service if they fail to do so. (Radelat, 10/24)
