First Edition: November 11, 2014
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Consumer Guide On Health Law Enrollment: Is The Second Time The Charm?
Haven’t thought about the health care law for a while? Now’s the time. Passed in 2010, the law requires most Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine. While many Americans get health coverage through their employers, starting Nov. 15 consumers who currently have insurance through the federal or state online marketplaces, or exchanges, set up by the law can reenroll. In addition, people who still need health insurance can sign up. Subsidies are available to help many people afford coverage, and some states have expanded their Medicaid programs as part of the law. (Carey, 11/11)
Kaiser Health News:
Pay Close Attention To The Enrollment Calendar To Avoid Penalties
Mind the gap. When the 2015 open enrollment period begins on Nov. 15 for plans sold on the individual market, consumers should act promptly to avoid a gap in coverage. Failing to do so could not only leave you exposed to unexpected medical bills—hello, appendicitis!—but you could also be hit with the penalty for not having health insurance that kicks in if you’re without coverage for three months or more during the year. The coverage requirement applies to most people in group and individual plans unless they qualify for a hardship or other type of exemption. (Andrews, 11/11)
Kaiser Health News:
How Employers Are Getting Ready For Open Enrollment
Some large employers will face penalties if they don’t offer workers health insurance in 2015. In addition, workers can expect to see increased cost-sharing and employers pushing them to “private exchanges” to save money. Kaiser Health News' Mary Agnes Carey and Jay Hancock discuss some of the issues you need to know before open enrollment in the health law’s marketplaces begins again on November 15 (11/11).
The New York Times:
Estimate Of Health Coverage Enrollment Leaves Room To Grow
The new estimate appeared to be part of an effort by federal officials to lower public expectations, so the goal would be easier to meet and to surpass. In addition, the new number could indicate that administration officials believe it will be difficult to find and enroll many of the uninsured while retaining those who signed up in the last year. (Pear, 11/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Law Enrollment in 2015 Won’t Meet Forecast
Millions fewer people will enroll in private health plans under the Affordable Care Act next year than the Congressional Budget Office had predicted, the Obama administration said Monday. The developments are the latest sign that the law, which Democrats passed in 2010 to provide near-universal health insurance, is struggling to reach that goal quickly. Attracting new enrollees to the health law’s insurance exchanges has proven more difficult than advocates had predicted, and a slice of those who do sign up for plans haven’t kept up with premiums. (Radnofsky, 11/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Estimates Lowered Of How Many People Will Sign Up For Obamacare In 2015
The Obama administration has substantially scaled back estimates of how many people will sign up for insurance in 2015 through the federal healthcare law, projecting that millions fewer Americans will use marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act. Instead of 13 million customers in the second year of the marketplaces, as had been predicted, the Department of Health and Human Services now says 9 million to 9.9 million people probably will get coverage by the end of next year. (Levey, 11/10)
The Associated Press:
Admin. Dials Back Goal For Health Law Sign-Ups
With sign-up season launching this weekend, officials sharply dialed down expectations Monday for the second year of President Barack Obama’s health insurance law. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said she’s aiming to have 9.1 million paying customers enrolled in 2015 for subsidized private coverage through HealthCare.gov and state insurance markets. ... After a chaotic rollout last year, Obama's signature program faces an even tougher test this time around. The public remains skeptical and Congress is now fully in the hands of Republicans committed to repeal it. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/10)
USA Today:
Feds Offer Cautious Health Care Enrollment Predictions
HealthCare.gov and state exchanges went live Sunday night for consumers who want to browse and compare plans before open enrollment starts. Once people start buying plans on Saturday, Department of Health & Human Services officials said they are expecting just 9 million to 9.9 million enrollees for 2015, far below the 13 million the CBO projected would have insurance and pay their premiums through the federal and state marketplaces by 2015. CBO's estimates were made before final data on 2014's open enrollment were completed. CBO also projected enrollment in exchanges would reach 25 million by 2017. That was based on CBO's assumption that along with the 13 million people in 2015, there would be 24 million signing up for 2016, and 25 million in 2017. (O'Donnell, 11/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Doctors Cash In On Drug Tests For Seniors, And Medicare Pays The Bill
Medical guidelines encourage doctors who treat pain to test their patients, to make sure they are neither abusing pills nor failing to take them, possibly to sell them. Now, some pain doctors are making more from testing than from treating. Spending on the tests took off after Medicare cracked down on what appeared to be abusive billing for simple urine tests. Some doctors moved on to high-tech testing methods, for which billing wasn’t limited. (Weaver and Mathews, 11/10)
The New York Times:
Medicare Proposes Paying For Lung Cancer Screenings For Older Longtime Smokers
Medicare will cover annual screenings for lung cancer for older Americans with long histories of heavy smoking, the federal government said Monday in a proposal that would cover an estimated four million people, many of whom are at greatest risk for the disease. (Taversnise, 11/11)
The Wall Street Journal's Total Return:
Medicare Vs. Medicare Advantage: More Comparative Data Needed
With almost four weeks remaining in Medicare’s annual open-enrollment period, a new study that looks at the research available to compare traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans finds that consumers have little good evidence to make informed decisions. Medicare beneficiaries have until Dec. 7 to change their insurance plans for the coming calendar year. Among the biggest decisions for any participant: choosing between traditional fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which are operated by private companies, including health-maintenance organizations and preferred-provider organizations. About 30% of all beneficiaries are now enrolled in the latter. (Ruffenach, 11/10)
The Washington Post:
Federal-Worker Benefits Season Is Now Open. Here’s What You Need To Know.
The annual federal employee benefits open season begins Monday, in which employees and retirees can change their insurance coverage and employees can set up flexible spending accounts for 2015. (Yoder, 11/10)
Los Angeles Times:
New VA Chief May Fire 1,000 Staffers Over Healthcare Scandal
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced a series of reforms Monday aimed at improving the agency’s customer service after concerns about substandard healthcare forced a leadership change earlier this year. Three months after taking the helm, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald unveiled plans to create a chief customer service officer tasked with overseeing an agency-wide program to streamline the department’s regional centers into a single network. (Hansen, 11/10)