The upcoming mid-term elections are a big deal because they will determine control of Congress and the legislative agenda for the remainder of the Trump Administration. But while the Republicans were focused on repeal and replace of the ACA and Trump was making decisions with health care market impacts, consumers faced higher health care costs...
Category: News
No Ruling Yet on ACA Lawsuit Threatening People with Pre-existing Conditions
The good news this week is that Senator McConnell indicated the Senate has no plan to repeal the ACA again soon, despite a likely “yea” vote from newly-(re)minted Senator Jon Kyl who stepped in to temporarily fill Senator John McCain’s shoes. The bad news is that the ACA and over 130 million people with pre-existing...
Tough Hearings for Trump’s Latest Supreme Court Nominee
Judge Brett Kavanaugh was in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hot seat last week. The Supreme Court confirmation hearings were intense with protesters and leaked confidential (or at least recently “committee confidential”) information to The New York Times and the general public. Public opinion remains divided – with 38% supporting and 39% opposing his confirmation. The...
Immigrants Dropping Benefits in Anticipation of New Public Charge Rules
Advocates continue to expect the Trump administration to issue proposed “public charge” rules. A leaked draft earlier this year changes the definition of when a legal immigrant (and their families) are considered a “public charge” to the government—impacting their qualification for permanent resident status. But even without proposed rules, fear within the immigrant community is...
Two Upcoming Events Pack a Potential Health Care Punch
The current threats to our health care are multi-fold. Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has the potential to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and important health care consumer protections. His judicial record leads people to be concerned about a potential demise of the right to safe, legal abortion, and the ACA. He has...
Medicaid Work Requirements Undercut Program’s Intent
The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) filed a lawsuit last week challenging the onerous work requirements approved for the Arkansas Medicaid program. They profiled the three Arkansas Medicaid enrollees the lawsuit was filed on behalf of, including Charles Gresham, who suffers from seizures, anxiety disorder and asthma. Mr. Gresham looks for work but has limited...
Read the Fine Print on Short Term Junk Insurance Plans!
The Administration issued final rules on short-term junk insurance plans, extending the maximum length of coverage from three to 12 months. The final rule also allows insurers to extend or renew coverage for up to 36 months (which was not included in the proposed rule). New plans could be available as soon as October 2018,...