Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tweaks To Small Business Exchange Still Underway
The New York Times: Defects Found Before Debut Of Health Insurance Site For Small Businesses
The Obama administration has discovered a number of defects in the online marketplace that will offer health insurance to millions of small-business employees, but federal officials said the problems could probably be fixed before the website goes live on Nov. 15. The website, for businesses with 50 or fewer employees, was created by the Affordable Care Act and was supposed to open Oct. 1, 2013, but officials could not meet that deadline. Since then, they have been trying to build the site. (Pear, 11/1)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Obamacare Still Has 'Back-End Issues'
When the Affordable Care Act marketplace opens on Nov. 15, consumers can expect healthcare.gov to have robust technology, amped-up functions, and a shorter application form for individual plans. What they won't see - and likely won't know about - are the ongoing communication problems that many on the insurance industry say continue to plague the "back-end" transfer of consumer files between the website and insurance companies. (Calandra, 11/2)
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Could Face Large Numbers of Dropouts
More than half the people who enrolled in Obamacare last year don’t plan to sign up again—and that’s bad news for the President’s controversial health care law. A new Bankrate survey reveals that 53 percent of current Obamacare enrollees who signed up through the exchanges said they would not be enrolling for 2015. Their reason --“much higher prices for health plans.” (Ehley, 11/3)
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Health Insurance Brokers Say Obama Administration Had Attitude Adjustment
When HealthCare.gov debuted a little more than a year ago, many insurance brokers accused the federal government of putting them on the sidelines and trying to cast them into professional obscurity. But many brokers are now celebrating what they call a dramatic attitude shift by President Barack Obama’s administration as the second enrollment period under his signature health law approaches. Brokers’ descriptions of the administration’s attitude toward their profession during the first round of health plan enrollment ranged from confident to hostile. And although problems persist, many now say federal health officials have given them a much-needed seat at the table. (Shapiro, 10/31)
The Associated Press: Oregon's Transition To Federal Exchange On Track
As the start of the second open enrollment period for health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act nears, Oregon officials say this time the state will avoid an enrollment disaster. When Oregon launched its insurance exchange portal last October, it turned into a technology fiasco. Cover Oregon was the only exchange in the nation that never fully launched and didn't let the public enroll in coverage in one sitting. Instead, residents had to use a time-consuming hybrid paper-online application process to get health insurance. Six top officials connected to the Cover Oregon debacle resigned. (Wozniacka, 11/2)
Meanwhile, insurers build bricks-and-mortar stores as part of their retail pitch -
Modern Healthcare: Insurers Build Retail Centers To Enhance Brand Image
Health insurers increasingly are building and staffing brick-and-mortar retail centers to expand their membership base and enhance their brand image with the public. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is opening a mall store in Edina on Nov. 8, a week before the start of the 2015 Obamacare open-enrollment period. Eight employees will staff the store. (Herman, 11/1)
