Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Short-Term Plans Are Same Ones Obama Had For Eight Years, HHS Secretary Says In Face Of Criticism
President Trump鈥檚 goal of expanding short-term health plans will not harm the insurance marketplace, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday. Under questioning from Senate Democrats during a hearing on the HHS budget, Azar repeatedly defended聽a proposed rule from the聽administration that would allow the sale of short-term health plans for up to an entire year. (Weixel, 5/10)
President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration would have 鈥済reat health plans鈥 coming out within four weeks. The president, who has tried unsuccessfully to get Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, didn鈥檛 elaborate on his statement, made during a rally in Elkhart, Indiana. A White House spokesman didn鈥檛 immediately respond to requests to clarify the statement. (Talev, 5/10)
In other health law news聽鈥
Nearly every insurer that has filed intentions to offer a plan on the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 exchange for 2019 predicts large cost spikes, with one going up nearly 85 percent. Some insurers, though, are predicting decreases, such as Anthem HealthKeepers and Optima Health Plan. (O'Connor, 5/10)
New York and Minnesota officials have settled a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to slash federal funding for the states' health plan programs that cover certain low-income people. A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the case after the HHS agreed to pay $151.9 million to New York and $17.3 million to Minnesota by May 14 to fund the states' Basic Health Programs, which together cover 800,000 people. (Livingston, 5/10)
Kaiser Health News: Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 The Politics Of Rising Premiums And Menu Labeling
Proposed insurance premium increases unveiled in Maryland and Virginia officially marked the start of finger-pointing on Capitol Hill this week, as Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the dysfunction of the individual insurance market under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump sent to lawmakers a budget 鈥渞escission鈥 package that would take back some $7 billion from the Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program. And, after many delays and considerable controversy, new rules requiring calorie counts on menus at chain restaurants took effect this week. (5/10)
