Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Powerful Chamber Of Commerce Pledges To Fight Any Efforts By Congress To Move Toward Single-Payer
Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday vowed to use all of the Chamber's resources to fight single-payer health care proposals. "We also have to respond to calls for government-run, single-payer health care, because it just doesn't work," Donohue said during his annual "State of American Business" address. (Hellmann, 1/10)
Settling allegations of discrimination filed by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office, Mutual of Omaha has agreed not to deny insurance to people who use medications to prevent H.I.V. infection. The insurer also has settled a lawsuit brought by an unidentified gay man in Massachusetts who was turned down for long-term-care insurance after acknowledging that he took an H.I.V.-prevention drug called Truvada. (Kolata, 1/10)
UnitedHealthcare’s price estimator told the 51-year-old Delaware County resident that the cost for the procedure in her area ranged from $783 to $1,375. So Smith was shocked when her share of the bill -- from a facility that the tool suggested -- came to $3,237. (Gantz, 1/10)
Will the U.S. health care system become any more affordable or transparent in 2019? While big policy changes aren’t expected in the coming year, several trends, business deals and legislative changes could make the industry a little more consumer-friendly.Here are three of these trends that could change health care for consumers in 2019. The Affordable Care Act is nearly a decade old, but the landmark health policy still continues to evolve. The big change this year is that there is now no penalty for failing to comply with the law’s individual mandate. (Tolbert, 1/10)
