ACA Round-Up: A Double-Threat Presidential Tweet, Cassidy-Graham-Heller, Bipartisan Market Stabilization Ideas, And Good News From Ohio

Although the high drama of the Senate debate on repeal of the Affordable Care Act seems to be over for the time being, health care reform remains in the headlines. Trump’s Threats Regarding Congressional Coverage And Cost-Sharing Reduction Insurer Reimbursements On July 29, 2017, President Trump tweeted, “If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!” This tweet carries a double threat: to end the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments that insurance companies receive to reimburse them for reducing cost sharing for low-income enrollees, and to stop Office of Personnel Management payments for members of Congress and their personal staff. White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway reinforced President Trump’s threat by saying on Fox News on the 30th that the President would decide within the week whether the cost-sharing reductions would continue. CSR Payments Any Health Affairs Blog reader is intimately familiar with the CSR issue. The ACA requires insurers to reduce cost-sharing (deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and out-of-pocket limits) dramatically for individuals with incomes between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level. About 6 million Americans receive cost-sharing reductions. Many see their deductibles effectively eliminated. The ACA requires the federal government to reimburse insurers for these CSRs, and government has been making monthly payments to t...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage bare counties Cassidy-Graham-Heller Amendment cost-sharing reduction payments FEHB market stabilization Ohio Source Type: blogs