Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
2 GOP Congressmen Offer Alternative Health Care Plan
Two Republican lawmakers are breaking with their party鈥檚 long-stated goal of repealing ObamaCare by putting forward a healthcare plan that leaves parts of the system in place. While the new bill from Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is a departure from the core Republican idea of full repeal, it could provide a roadmap for changes that could be enacted under a GOP president. (Sullivan, 5/23)
After years of failed GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare, a top Texas Republican lawmaker is taking a new tack on health care: proposing an alternative. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are behind a bill that they say would offer Americans a choice. Taking a page from the Donald Trump political playbook, they鈥檝e given it a name oozing with confidence 鈥 鈥淭he World鈥檚 Greatest Healthcare Plan Act of 2016.鈥 (Leslie, 5/23)
While the bill does not repeal the 2010 health care law, it would repeal both the individual and employer mandates and limits the 鈥渘on-essential鈥 products that plans would have to cover. ... Sessions and Cassidy鈥檚 bill comes as a House GOP task force is drafting an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans met to discuss earlier this month. (McIntire, 5/23)
The 50 or so farmworkers who signed up for help [enrolling in a health plan] missed this year鈥檚 ACA open enrollment period. But they鈥檙e offered a second chance. A special open-enrollment period allows consumers who experience certain life events 鈥 a change in marital or immigration status, for example 鈥 to apply after the main enrollment period has ended. Entering the country on an H-2A work visa is considered a qualifying life event, making migrant workers eligible for the special-enrollment period. (Porter-Rockwell, 5/24)
Many Georgians may see their monthly premiums rise by double-digit percentages on the state health insurance exchange in 2017, an analysis of health insurers鈥 proposed rate requests shows. If approved by regulators, these rates will vary significantly depending on the plan, the region of the state and the insurer. (Miller, 5/23)
