HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “Leaders of a dozen state-run health insurance exchanges threw their support Wednesday [8-30-17] behind congressional efforts to bolster the individual insurance markets while giving states more leeway over implementing the Affordable Care Act.
The state health leaders warned that premiums would continue to climb, and state budgets would suffer, if the federal government didn’t commit to preserving payments to insurers that offset out-of-pocket costs for some consumers, and if states didn’t get more flexibility…
The bill would also likely include changes that Republicans have long sought, such as more state flexibility over parts of the ACA’s implementation. The state-based exchange leaders pointed to ideas such as flexibility on open enrollment periods as one example.
Such flexibility could allow states, for example, to tie subsidies to factors like a consumer’s age and income, rather than solely to the costs of premiums…
The letter released Wednesday came from states that have opted to run their own exchanges, where people can go online to sign up for coverage and subsidies under the ACA. Most states have opted to let the federal government run their exchanges through the portal HealthCare.gov, or have worked with the government.
Senior leaders from state-run exchanges in Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada, California and Oregon signed the letter, reflecting broad agreement from states that face different challenges under the ACA.
The states have seen many insurers raise premiums and some opt not to participate next year on the exchanges, a central component of the ACA, due to growing costs and the uncertain fate of the health law in Congress.”
-Stephanie Armour, “Leaders of a Dozen State-Run Insurance Exchanges Call for Preservation of Subsidies,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 30, 2017 05:05pm