By Grace-Marie Turner & Doug Badger — A few states have found a key to undoing some of Obamacare’s damage to their individual health insurance markets by redirecting some federal funding to help sick people. These states are providing separate assistance to those with the highest health costs, thereby reducing premiums and increasing enrollment for healthy people driven out of the market by … [Read more...] about Several States Have Found Ways To Mitigate Obamacare’s Damage To Their Health Insurance Markets
ObamaCare
Obamacare Is A Political Nightmare That’s Not Going Anywhere. Here’s A Solution
Congressional Republicans, who ran against Obamacare through four election cycles, have spent most of the past year running away from it. But they are finding the law hard to escape. Democrats who once shied away from Obamacare now can’t stop talking about it. They are blaming Republicans for the next round of premium increases that will become finalized in the weeks leading up to the November … [Read more...] about Obamacare Is A Political Nightmare That’s Not Going Anywhere. Here’s A Solution
Breaking promises: GOP resuscitate Obamacare with massive bailout
Congressional Republicans who repeatedly pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare instead are racing today to rescue the law with truckloads of federal cash. Their plan: a multi-billion-dollar bailout of health insurers that sell Obamacare policies. In return, the insurers promise to reduce premiums just in time for November’s elections. Congress shouldn’t jump at this politically tantalizing … [Read more...] about Breaking promises: GOP resuscitate Obamacare with massive bailout
How Obamacare Raised Premiums
The seismic effects of the Affordable Care Act on insurance markets continue to be felt nearly eight years after its enactment. Premiums for individual coverage more than doubled between 2013 and 2017. Much of that increase resulted from Obamacare’s new regulations. Some regulations—such as essential health benefits and actuarial value requirements—had discrete effects on premiums. A cluster of … [Read more...] about How Obamacare Raised Premiums
How Obamacare Raised Premiums
The seismic effects of the Affordable Care Act on insurance markets continue to be felt nearly eight years after its enactment. Premiums for individual coverage more than doubled between 2013 and 2017. Much of that increase resulted from Obamacare's new regulations. Some regulations-such as essential health benefits and actuarial value requirements-had discrete effects on premiums. A cluster of … [Read more...] about How Obamacare Raised Premiums
Americans Need Health Reform to Be a Priority Issue in 2018
An open letter to President Donald J. Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Speaker Paul Ryan. As you meet this weekend at Camp David to plan your 2018 legislative agenda, we strongly recommend that you keep health care as a top priority. We applaud your success in repealing one of the most despised parts of Obamacare—the individual mandate fines—but millions of Americans … [Read more...] about Americans Need Health Reform to Be a Priority Issue in 2018
How Lawmakers Should Deal with Obamacare Cost-Sharing-Reduction Payments
Many attribute the big jump in 2018 Obamacare premiums to the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate government payments to insurance companies, known as cost-sharing-reduction (CSR) subsidies. Galen Institute Senior Fellow Doug Badger reports in a paper published today by The Heritage Foundation that premiums increased by double digits even for Obamacare policies that were not affected … [Read more...] about How Lawmakers Should Deal with Obamacare Cost-Sharing-Reduction Payments
Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Is Repealing Itself
The Senate this week is expected to vote on a tax bill that includes a controversial provision to repeal Obamacare’s tax penalty on the uninsured. Democrats and some conservative policy analysts fret that if Congress scuttles the so-called individual mandate, insurance premiums will rise. The reverse may be closer to the truth: Premiums for Obamacare policies next year will be so high that … [Read more...] about Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Is Repealing Itself