Verma Pushes Back Against Dems’ Accusations That Uptick In Uninsured Rate Is Trump Administration’s Fault
CMS Chief Seema Verma said that the true culprit is that high premiums that have priced out people who don't qualify for subsidies. A closer look at the numbers, however, shows that immigrants' fears over a Trump administration crackdown may lay at the heart of the increase. Hispanics were the only major racial and ethnic category with a significant increase in their uninsured rate.
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Blames Increase In Uninsured Americans On Obamacare
A senior Trump administration health official blamed the first increase in uninsured Americans in a decade on the Affordable Care Act, pushing back against Democrats’ claims in Thursday night’s debate that the president is hurting the law. The uptick is due to higher premiums under the law that have priced people without subsidies out of the market, Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a blog post on Friday, in a response to data released Monday by the Census Bureau. (Armour, 9/13)
The Associated Press:
Rise In Health Uninsured May Be Linked To Immigrants' Fears
When the Census Bureau reported an increase in the number of people without health insurance in America, it sent political partisans reaching for talking points on the Obama-era health law and its travails. But the new numbers suggest that fears of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown may be a more significant factor in the slippage. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/15)
In other health law news —
Stateline:
States Flubbed The Rollout Of Their Health Insurance Exchanges. Now They’re Ready To Try Again.
The launch of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act was marred by the performance of the newly created state health insurance marketplaces. With generous federal financial support, many states created these markets, also called exchanges, based on soaring promises: Individuals and small businesses could compare policies. They could get federal subsidies. It would be easy to sign up. And if people’s income declined, they could enroll in their state’s Medicaid plan. (Ollove, 9/13)
The CT Mirror:
Insurance Department Approves Smaller Premium Hikes For Anthem, ConnectiCare
State officials said Friday that they have approved smaller rate hikes than those originally sought by carriers for policies on Connecticut’s health insurance exchange. Anthem Health Plans asked for a 15.2% average increase on individual plans that cover about 27,300 people. The state insurance department approved a 6.5% hike for those policies next year, it said Friday. (Carlesso, 9/13)
