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What We’re Reading and Listening To
Net Neutrality: Did you stop to think that the repeal of net neutrality rules could impact health disparities? Neither did we, until we read this op-ed suggesting that the repeal of neutrality will stifle health care innovations such as telemedicine, online appointment scheduling and mobile health apps – putting them further out of reach for […]
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A Camel is a Horse Designed by a Committee
A final tax bill has been negotiated by conference committee and initial details began emerging yesterday. Action is expected in the Senate as early as Monday. A conference committee may have been moot if not for a significant mistake; in the fervor of last minute promises and handwritten changes, Senate Republicans failed to check their work and mistakenly eliminated […]
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A Lump of Coal Wrapped Up with a Bow?
According to folklore, kids who misbehave get a lump of coal on Christmas morning instead of a present. While Congressional Republicans assuredly deserve that lump of coal, we’re hoping advocates get the gift of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reauthorization. Congress avoided a government shutdown last week when they approved a two-week funding bill. They […]
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WA State Health Care Access: Room for Improvement
Our state’s annual health care quality report, the Community Check-up, was released last week and identified gaps in care. Unfortunately, an insurance card doesn’t necessarily mean access to care or access to quality care. The latest report from the Washington Health Alliance compares clinics, medical groups, hospitals, counties and Accountable Communities of Health on common […]
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Children and Community Health Centers Dangling by a String
Congress got waylaid in its protracted efforts to take down the ACA, causing it to move directly to the tax bills. Meanwhile, families, clinics and states are wondering what will happen to them if Congress doesn’t reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Community Health Center Fund, both of which expired September 30th. […]
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Open Enrollment Continues to See Gains
We are almost one month into Open Enrollment for individual health insurance! In the first two weeks, Washington’s HealthPlanFinder reported a 58% increase in enrollments over the same time period last year. To encourage enrollment, HealthPlanFinder has shopping tips, including the new Smart PlanFinder tool, to help consumers select a plan. There is also a […]
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And If Ongoing Congressional Threats to the ACA Weren’t Enough…
The Trump Administration is proposing to gut standards for coverage of health benefits in the individual insurance market. In late October, the Administration released their proposed 2019 “payment notice” that includes changes in rules governing the marketplaces and health insurance markets. NoHLA and other advocates submitted comments objecting to many of the proposed changes, especially […]
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Changes on the Horizon Following Election Day
Democratic candidates for Governor won in both Virginia and New Jersey – providing optimism for Democrats preparing for next year’s mid-term elections. At home, the WA State Senate flipped back to a Democratic majority. The Republicans have had control in recent years. Republican Senator Andy Hill’s death last year created the opportunity for newcomer Manka […]
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A Health & Human Services Nominee Straight Out of Pharma
After the resignation of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price amid scandal, President Trump announced his replacement pick, Alex M. Azar. Most recently an executive at Eli Lilly, Azar is a lawyer and former Deputy HHS Secretary under President George W. Bush. Azar needs to be confirmed by the Senate; he was unanimously […]
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Insurance Coverage Sign-ups Surge After Open Enrollment Begins
President Trump slashed outreach and enrollment funding and ended cost-sharing reduction payments to disrupt the Exchange. Open Enrollment began on November 1 and enrollment has surged across the country. Over 600,000 people selected a plan through HealthCare.gov, the federal marketplace, in the first week of Open Enrollment. In Washington’s Exchange, website traffic on Washington HealthPlanFinder […]
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