Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Native Americans Urged To Consider Enrolling In Obamacare Policies
As a member of the Navajo tribe, Rochelle Jake has received free care through the Indian Health Service (IHS) her entire life. ... Recently, though, she felt sharp pains in her side. Her doctor recommended an MRI and other tests she couldn’t get through IHS. To pay for it, he urged her to sign up for private insurance under the Affordable Care Act. ... Tribes, health care advocates and government officials across the nation are trying to enroll as many Native Americans as possible in Obamacare, saying it offers new choices to patients and financial relief for struggling Indian hospitals and clinics. (Gorman, 9/8)
The Northern Arapaho Tribe wants a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's recent ruling that the tribe is legally a large employer under federal health care law — a designation that requires the tribe to provide insurance coverage for its hundreds of employees. Beginning this year, the Affordable Care Act requires employers with 50 or more employees to offer them health coverage or face federal penalties. (Neary, 9/4)
The law is also continuing to affect health employment statistics.
Health-care jobs hit a record as a percentage of total non-farm employment in the most recent U.S. payrolls report, fueled by an improving economy and President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul. Health jobs made up 10.7 percent of all jobs in August. That's 15.2 million people employed in doctors' offices, hospitals and home care on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department said Friday, up from 14.7 million a year earlier. (Tracer and Armstrong, 9/4)
