Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Watchdog Finds IRS Calculated Health Law Credits Correctly On 93 Percent Of Returns
The Hill: Report: IRS Correctly Calculated ObamaCare Tax Credit On Most Returns
The Internal Revenue Service correctly determined the allowable amount of the ObamaCare-related premium tax credit on most tax returns, a report made public Tuesday found. The tax credit, created by the Affordable Care Act, is designed to help offset the costs of health insurance for low- and moderate-income people. ... The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) analyzed more than 2.6 million tax returns filed from January to May 2015 that claimed the credit. The watchdog said in its report that it determined that the IRS accurately calculated the allowable credit on 93 percent of the returns. (Jagoda, 5/3)
The Fiscal Times: How Obamacare Is Fueling The Gig Economy
The desire for autonomy and work-life balance is driving more workers into freelance roles, but at the same time there are growing incentives for companies to employ workers via contracts rather than hire them full-time. Chief among those incentives is the cost of providing (or not providing) health care to workers under the Affordable Care Act. Nearly three-quarters of companies said that they would contract with more freelancers this year because of Obamacare, according to a new survey by online work platform Field Nation and executive development firm Future Workplace. (Braverman, 5/3)
Minnesota Public Radio: Lawmakers split on MNsure changes as campaign fight looms
For as much as Minnesota Republicans despise MNsure, they love to talk about it. They've written letters, legislation and plenty of campaign literature since even before the insurance marketplace went live in a problem-plagued 2013 rollout. This legislative session, they are again taking aim. Republicans have passed measures to slice MNsure's operating allowances, alter its leadership structure and phase out the state exchange altogether. Their goal is to put Minnesota into a federally run marketplace beginning in 2018. (Bakst, 5/4)
Kaiser Health News: Smokers’ Ranks Look Conspicuously Sparse In Obamacare
Barred from restaurants, banned on airplanes and unwelcome in workplaces across America, smokers have become accustomed to hiding their habits. So it’s no surprise many may now also be denying their habit when they buy health coverage from the federal health law’s insurance exchanges. Insurers -- who can charge higher rates in most states to admitted smokers -- are steamed. (Galewitz, 5/4)
Meanwhile, the man who played a crucial role in the Affordable Care Act's passage is stepping down —
The Washington Post: Leader Of Families USA, Pivotal In Passing Affordable Care Act, Will Step Down
After 33 years as [executive director of Families USA, Ron] Pollack will announce Wednesday that he plans to step down next March. ... Under his direction, Families USA became a major player in almost every big health-care battle of the past several decades. It was at the forefront of pushing for the creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 and in opposing changing Medicaid into a block-grant program. (McGinley, 5/4)
