Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Insurers' Financial Well-Being Has Improved After Rocky First Years Of Health Law, Report Finds
Health insurers have largely adjusted to the impact of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the White House will say in an economic report Wednesday, a finding that will likely undercut lawmakers’ efforts to secure federal funds to blunt potential premium increases for the coming year. Republicans, Democrats and the White House are negotiating the provisions of a major spending bill that must pass by Saturday or risk a government shutdown. The insurance payments are part of those discussions. (Radnofsky, 3/21)
Democrats are gearing up to blame Republicans for ObamaCare premium increases after the likely failure of an effort to stabilize the law in this month’s government funding package. The premium hikes for ObamaCare will likely be announced in October, just a month before a midterm election where Democrats are hoping to win back the House and Senate. (Sullivan, 3/21)
In other health law news —
State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon cautioned that a proposal by President Donald Trump to allow the purchase of health insurance policies across state lines could be "catastrophic" for some Louisiana residents unless the state has the authority to regulate the carriers. Republican U.S. senators filed a bill Monday (March 19) that would require the federal Department of Health and Human Services to issue regulations allowing insurers to sell plans across state lines. (3/20)
