Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
What's Going On With The Health Law's Marketplaces?
U.S. President Donald Trump says Obamacare, the health-insurance system created by his Democratic predecessor, is collapsing and needs to be replaced. Democrats say Trump is sabotaging Obamacare by scaring insurers away. As proof, both sides point to double-digit premium increases and the departure of a string of national insurers from the individual-policy market under Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).聽Climbing prices and narrowing choices. On June 6, Anthem Inc.聽announced聽its decision to quit Ohio鈥檚 ACA market, a step that may leave 13,000 people without any coverage option under the program next year.聽Anthem offers ACA plans in 13 other states, where its continued participation largely remains a question mark. 聽(Edney, Tracer and Recht, 6/12)
Arizona has been described as聽"ground zero" for "Obamacare's" woes because of the departure last year of all but two health insurance companies and聽massive customer rate hikes. But those two insurance companies appear content enough with Arizona's health-insurance marketplace this year聽that they have pursued steps to again offer plans in 2018. (Alltucker, 6/12)