Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Heavy Traffic Expected In Last Week Of Shorter Open Enrollment Period
The Trump administration came into office looking to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law, but the Affordable Care Act survived. Now the administration is on the hook to deliver a smooth ending to sign-up season, with a crush of customers expected this week. For millions of eligible consumers time runs out on Friday. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/11)
If you need to sign up for health insurance for 2018, you have until next Friday to purchase an individual marketplace plan through Obamacare. With a shorter enrollment period and other changes, the number of participants is expected to fall short of last year’s numbers. (Candisky, 12/8)
With one week left to sign up for health insurance through the federal marketplace, the number of people enrolling in New Hampshire is roughly equal to last year, although it is unclear what the final tally will be because the enrollment period has been shortened. Most New Hampshire residents have until Friday to buy health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace. That deadline comes much earlier than in past years when open enrollment continued through the start of January. (Brooks, 12/10)
Open enrollment for health care under former President Barack Obama's health care law ends Dec. 15, and while current Texas enrollment numbers are up from this time last year, new restrictions under the Trump administration may mean more uninsured Texans. (Allbright, 12/11)
Meanwhile, Americans are struggling with high premiums —
Margaret Leatherwood has eight choices for health insurance next year but no good options. The cheapest individual coverage available in her market would eat up nearly a quarter of the income her husband brings home from the oilfields. The Bryson, Texas, couple makes too much to qualify for Affordable Care Act tax credits that help people buy coverage. But they don't make enough to comfortably afford insurance on their own, even though Paul Leatherwood works seven days a week. (Murphy, 12/10)
An increasing number of Iowans who face steep health insurance bills are looking at an alternative: faith-based “health sharing ministries,” in which religious Americans help each other pay medical bills. The arrangements aren’t exactly insurance, but they count as coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act. That means people who join the cost-sharing ministries don’t have to pay a federal penalty for going uninsured. (Leys, 12/8)
As rates skyrocket, and uncertainty over the health law threatens to push premiums even higher, consumers who buy their own coverage and earn too much to qualify for financial aid are bearing the brunt of price increases. ... And rates could spike even higher if Congress and the president repeal the individual mandate that requires eligible Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine. (Chang, 12/10)
