Recent Articles

“Thus, as it now stands, only 14 to 16 states (plus the District of Columbia) are likely to actually be operating state-run exchanges come October, when open season begins. There may be another two or three states with so-called partnership exchanges, but the feds will be responsible for most of the major functions in those states. Indeed, the final count could be lower as some states trying to set up their own exchanges—faced with significant technical challenges and limited remaining time—give up and default to a federally run exchange.”

“No matter what, it’s clear that ObamaCare isn’t resulting in lower premiums. And for many people, in the years after the law, premiums aren’t just going to up up a little. They’re going to rise a lot.”

“Should premiums continue to rise, more and more uninsured Americans are going to choose to pay the penalty rather than purchase expensive insurance. And those who go without insurance are more likely to be the ones who can afford to do so — young and healthy Americans with limited medical expenses. Should this occur, insurers would have to raise premiums even more to subsidize the expenses of the sicker beneficiaries they must cover under the law. This, in turn, would cause additional people to forgo insurance and pay the fine. And so on. This is known in the health care policy community as the “death spiral” and it’s one of the biggest threats to the structure of Obamacare.”

“During his first campaign for the presidency in 2008, the president promised that his health reform plan would ‘bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family’ by the end of his first term. Well, that first term is just about up. And health insurance isn’t any cheaper. In fact, it’s more expensive. Premiums have increased by an average of $3,065. And they’re about to go up even more, as Obamacare takes effect during the president’s second term.”

“Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers.”

“Young adults will see higher health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) because of a provision that links prices for older and younger patients, according to a new study. Actuaries at management consulting firm Oliver Wyman predicted the law’s age rating restrictions could mean a 42 percent hike in premium costs for people aged 21 to 29 when they buy individual coverage.”

“After losing a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court, craft stores chain Hobby Lobby said it would defy a federal healthcare mandate requiring employers to provide their workers with insurance that covers emergency contraceptives. The Oklahoma City-based chain, owned by a conservative Christian family, had applied to the high court to block a part of the federal healthcare law ordering companies to offer insurance that covers contraceptive drugs, including the so-called morning-after pill.”

“The fiscal cliff deal that passed in the House on Tuesday struck CLASS from the books for good. Which means that unless Congress passes new legislation, the program isn’t coming back. Given its dormant status, CLASS wasn’t likely to do much damage. But there were those who seemed interested in reviving the program — and attempting to ‘fix’ its problems by making buy-in mandatory. Repeal takes that possibility off the table.”

“The fiscal cliff deal, approved by Congress on New Year’s Day, eliminates most of the more than $1.4 billion in remaining funding from the federal health law for new nonprofit, customer-owned health plans designed to compete against the major for-profit insurers. That means the Obama administration won’t be able to approve loans to any additional co-ops.”

“A conservative nonprofit group is putting pressure on the Obama administration to delay major regulations from the healthcare reform law. The Minnesota-based Citizens Council for Health Freedom says the administration is trying to ‘rush ObamaCare’ by providing just 30 days for comment on major pieces of the program. The group has asked supporters to write the Health and Human Services Department and demand that the rule-making process be slowed down.”