- Even as ACA marketplace enrollment lags by about half a million customers, many people will still have coverage because those exchanges automatically re-enroll customers who don’t make a choice on their own.
- Among factors that appear to have stunted marketplace enrollment — other than the end of the tax penalty for not having insurance — are the lack of government funding for outreach and assistance; a rise in employment, which likely means more people getting insurance through work; Virginia’s expansion of Medicaid; and the Trump administration’s relaxation of rules making cheaper, short-term plans more easily available.
- Many people were surprised this week when two conservative Supreme Court justices sided with liberals and kept the court from taking a case involving states’ efforts to kick Planned Parenthood out of their Medicaid program. But the decision may have been an effort by Chief Justice John Roberts to buttress a nonpartisan reputation for the court. However, other abortion cases coming up from the states may make it to the court.
- About 200,000 comments have been submitted on the Trump administration’s proposal to change federal rules so that more types of public assistance given to immigrants be considered when they apply for a green card or citizenship. Many health officials and medical providers say the rule would hurt public health efforts by keeping people from seeking food and medical aid.
