The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this week agreed on a invoice they are saying may assist stabilize the struggling medical insurance exchanges. But regardless of compromises made by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), it’s nonetheless unclear whether or not Congress can move the measure, notably in time for the Affordable Care Act’s 2018 open enrollment season, which begins Nov. 1.
President Donald Trump, who up to now week has taken a number of positions on whether or not he helps or opposes the bipartisan efforts, shouldn’t be serving to the hassle.
In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo focus on these points, in addition to the destiny of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, whose funding authorization expired on Oct. 1.
The Senate compromise would look like a win-win: Democrats restore Obamacare markets’ stability and Republicans assist convey down premium costs. But politics hold getting in the best way.
The panelists agreed that the bipartisan invoice faces a dangerous path to passage, with Republicans in each the House and Senate loath to vote for one thing that might be seen as shoring up the well being regulation they promised voters they’d repeal. Even if it seems “really, really dead,” proposals typically come again to life in well being care. Keep a watch on end-of-the-year congressional compromises.
But it additionally appears that Trump’s cutoff final week of subsidies that reimburse insurers for reductions they supply to lower-income enrollees has had much less of an impression than many predicted. In some states, insurance coverage regulators had insurers file two separate units of charges, together with the next one in case the president stopped the funds. In different states, insurers are letting states file new charges, despite the fact that the deadline for that has technically handed.
Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists advocate their favourite well being tales of the week they suppose you need to learn, too.
Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “The Drug Industry’s Triumph Over the DEA,” by Scott Higham and Lenny Bernstein.
Joanne Kenen: The Pacific Standard’s “Doctor and Advocate: One Surgeon’s Global Fight For The Rights Of Rape Survivors,” by Fabiola Ortiz and Megan Clement.
Margot Sanger-Katz: Vox.com’s “Dark chocolate is now a health food. Here’s how that happened,” by Julia Belluz.
Alice Ollstein: Bloomberg News’ “The Health Plans Trump Backs Have a Long History of Disputes,” by Erik Larson and Zachary Tracer.
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Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nationwide well being coverage information service. It is an editorially unbiased program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.