Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Auditor Finds Most Of The Health Law's Insurance Co-Ops Are Losing Money
Most federal insurance cooperatives created under the Affordable Care Act are losing money and could have difficulty repaying millions of dollars in federal loans, an internal government audit has found, prompting the Obama administration to step up supervision of the carriers. Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that most of the insurance co-ops enrolled fewer people than they had predicted, and that 22 of the 23 co-ops lost money last year. (Pear, 8/14)
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) on Saturday said GOP lawmakers remain completely invested in repealing ObamaCare. Guthrie added that rolling back President Obamas signature healthcare law is essential before its latest set of regulations takes effect next year. ... If ObamaCares next round of regulations takes effect on Jan. 1, mere months from now, small businesses will be forced into larger group insurance markets that have dramatically higher rates, Guthrie added. (Hensch, 8/15)
The exact figure is not known, but a reasonable estimate has 158,000 people in Wisconsin gaining health insurance since January 2014 when coverage was expanded through the Affordable Care Act. That's based on a recent analysis by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The analysis shows the state's progress in expanding coverage, said Donna Friedsam, director of health policy programs at the agency. ... An estimated 450,000 adults in the state were uninsured in 2013. (Boulton, 8/15)
The complexity of health insurance and lagging levels of insurance literacy have long been a concern. But many experts say the problem is particularly urgent now that the federal health law has expanded coverage to millions more people, including many who have limited experience with insurance and some with limited English proficiency. (Levin Becker, 8/17)
