ObamaCare News: Daily ObamaCare Updates

Although a 2017 Gallup poll showed a rise in the uninsured rate under Trump, 2017 data from the Census Bureau shows there has been no significant change in the uninsured rate since 2016. We don’t have data for 2018 yet.

Sign up for “TrumpCare” between November 1 and December 15, 2018 to get health coverage and cost assistance for 2019. Get covered at Healthcare.Gov.

The Individual Mandate’s fee has been reduced to $0 at a federal level starting in 2019. However, some states are implementing their own individual mandate starting in 2019.

Rates are actually expected to decline in some states for the first time in years in 2019. Below, we detail how much rates are expected to change on a state by state basis.

The Associated Press and consulting firm Avalere Health have found that health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act seem to be stabilizing.

The Senate GOP introduced a bill to ensure coverage for Patients with pre-existing conditions. However, the bill doesn’t actually ensure coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Trump signed an order expanding short term coverage, but both red and blue states are pushing back due to the projected effects of expanding short term coverage on the broader marketplace.

The Trump administration is expanding short term health plans for 2019. The plans will be renewable for up to 36 months (like COBRA). The benefit is healthy Americans could pay less. However, costs are likely to be shifted to those on more robust plans.

The House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s 2.3% excise tax on medical devices. The measure will now go to the senate where it needs 60 votes to pass.

After freezing risk adjustment payments earlier this month, CMS has issued a final rule saying they will continue risk adjustment payments to insurances under the Affordable Care Act.

HHS has altered or removed language about sex discrimination on the Civil Rights section of HHS.Gov. Specifically, a page about Section 1557 of the ACA (the non-discrimination provision) was changed.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has been in talks with the Trump administration about restarting risk adjustment payments to insurers after CMS suddenly cut them. However, the stance seems to be that this might be accomplished via a bill in Congress.

The Trump administration announced that it will cut grants for marketplace navigators (nonprofit organizations that help people sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act). The total grant reduction for these assisters under Trump has been about 80%.

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin cut dental and vision coverage for over 500,000 Medicaid recipients after a Judge halted a Medicaid overhaul previously approved by the Trump administration in January.

20 states are suing the Federal Government charging that without the mandate ObamaCare is illegal. Now consider Trump repealed the mandate, the 20 states are Republican led, and Trump’s administration won’t defend ObamaCare in Court.

The Department of Labor has published final rules on Association Health Plans. The rule change will likely result in less healthy Americans on existing plans, thus raising the costs of existing plans, but will as a trade-off likely result in more Americans covered overall.

S.2372 – VA MISSION Act of 2018, which passed through both the House and Senate with bipartisan support, was signed into law on June 6th, 2018. The legislation amends,  expands, and unifies existing Veterans Choice Programs. Unlike the previous Veterans Choice Program, the new community care program requires the congressional appropriations committees to provide designated…

Virginia will expand Medicaid to all adults under the Affordable Care Act now that the Virginia legislature has passed the necessary legislation. The expansion is estimated to cover up to 400,000 residents.

According to preliminary reports health premiums are set to surge for 2019. Meanwhile, solutions for fixing the looming 2019 problems are lacking.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare) contained calorie count rules (which require business to display calorie counts of food). These rules go into effect today.