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The federal government cheered the 2016 open-enrollment period as more than 12.7 million Americans signed up for health insurance, but a closer look at the data reveals that many individual counties recorded precipitous annual declines in plan selections. That's not entirely worrisome news though, because people may have picked up health insurance from Medicaid, employers or other sources. Those numbers also show how closely linked state Medicaid programs and the Affordable Care Act's individual marketplaces are, given that many exchange enrollees are low income. (Herman, 6/2)

Most insurers are not discussing exiting ObamaCare marketplaces and some could in fact could grow their participation, according to a new analysis. The Commonwealth Fund reviewed insurer earnings calls to get a broader picture of experiences on the healthcare marketplaces, after the attention given to United Healthcare dropping out of many states. The analysis found that only one other insurer, Humana, explicitly said it is considering exiting ObamaCare marketplaces in 2017. (Sullivan, 6/2)

Mental health care ranks among the most expensive kinds of health care in American medicine—and having a mental illness or behavioral disorder can drive up costs for other kinds of care. But new research suggests that the Affordable Care Act has helped young people with mental illnesses afford health care—especially young blacks and Latinos. (Mack, 6/2)

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina sued the federal government, becoming the latest health insurer to claim it is owed money under the Affordable Care Act. The suit, filed on Thursday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., says the U.S. failed to live up to obligation to pay the insurer more than $147 million owed under an ACA program known as “risk corridors,” which aimed to limit the financial risks borne by insurers entering the new health-law markets. (Wilde Mathews, 6/2)

Insurance companies participating in Delaware’s health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act are seeking average rate increases of about 24 percent or more for next year, state officials revealed Thursday in acknowledging the potential sticker shock for consumers. In a rate filing with the Delaware Department of Insurance, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware is asking for an average rate increase of 32.5 percent for individual plans. Rate increases would vary by plan and would range from 24.1 percent to 35.8 percent. (Chase, 6/2)

The state Senate on Thursday sent Gov. Jerry Brown a measure that would ask for federal approval to allow immigrants in the country illegally to purchase their own health insurance through the Covered California exchange. State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) said his bill may lead to an estimated 390,000 immigrants who earn an income too high to qualify for Medi-Cal to fully pay for healthcare coverage through the state exchange under the Affordable Care Act. (McGreevy, 6/2)

Illegal immigrants would be allowed to purchase health insurance for themselves and their families through California's state-run marketplace under legislation that passed both houses of the Legislature this week with bipartisan support. (Calefati, 6/2)