Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Years Of Eye-Popping Rate Increases, Insurers' Requests Are Starting To Level Off
After years of big rate increases on Affordable Care Act plans, insurers in many states are seeking smaller hikes and even some reductions,聽according to new federal data that provide the broadest view so far of next year鈥檚 health-law markets. Major insurers in states including Mississippi and Florida are seeking single-digit increases, according to preliminary rate requests published on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.聽Big marketplace players in states including Texas, Illinois, Arizona and North Carolina have proposed to cut some premiums for 2019. (Wilde Mathews and Walker, 8/1)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing back against health insurers that want to raise premiums after the federal repeal of financial penalties for those who lack insurance, while New Jersey officials said they avoided such hikes by making the coverage mandate state law. On Monday, Mr. Cuomo directed the state Department of Financial Services to reject the portion of insurers鈥 proposed rate increases that are tied to the federal changes, saying the companies are seeking to 鈥済ain windfall profits鈥 from changes to the Affordable Care Act under President Donald Trump. (King, 8/1)
On average, there will be no double-digit rate hikes for consumers who buy individual health insurance online for 2019 despite efforts by the administrationof President Donald Trump to undermine the Affordable Care Act by expanding short-term health plans and scaling back marketing. Rates for Missourians are increasing by an average of 4 percent to 7 percent. Some advocates fear that even this relatively minor uptick in rates will lead some to forgo coverage. (Liss, 8/1)
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. requested rate hikes that average out to 7.3 percent across all its individual plans, but are three times higher than that for some, according to documents filed with the Missouri Department of Insurance.Cigna officials didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. (Marso, 8/1)
In other health law news聽鈥
A Republican attempt to include a provision in a government funding bill that would block the District of Columbia from using money to implement its own individual health-care mandate failed in the Senate on Wednesday. Senators voted 54-44 to table the amendment from GOP Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas). The vote effectively pigeonholes the proposal with the Senate poised to pass the larger funding bill on Wednesday. (Carney, 8/1)
Kaiser Health News: Listen: Why Red States Challenging ACA Tread Precariously On A Popular Protection
States seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act must do a delicate dance. That鈥檚 because most of them have higher-than-average rates of residents with preexisting conditions 鈥 a group specifically protected under the ACA. The 2010 health law prohibits insurers from charging more or denying coverage for such conditions, and that provision remains popular across the country and party lines. Twenty GOP state attorneys general and governors filed聽a challenge to the constitutionality of the ACA in February. Last month, the Department of Justice under Attorney General Jeff Sessions sided with them and decided not to defend key portions of the ACA, including the preexisting conditions provision. (8/2)
