Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Administration Confirms HHS Will Continue 'Insurer Bailout' Payments As Suit Is Litigated
The Trump administration will continue ObamaCare's insurer payments while a House lawsuit runs its course. House Republicans sued the Obama administration over the payments 鈥 called cost-sharing reductions 鈥 that reimburse insurers for giving discounted deductibles to low-income ObamaCare enrollees.聽An administration official confirmed to The Hill Monday that the Health and Human Services Department would continue the payments while the lawsuit is being litigated. (Hellmann, 4/3)
The precedent that the cost-sharing subdues would be funded while the lawsuit is being litigated remains the policy of the current administration, according to the official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity. The statement could provide some clarity for insurers as they decide whether to offer plans next year on the Obamacare exchanges. (McIntire, 4/3)
[On] Monday, the Trump administration sent a reassuring message to the health insurance industry that it would continue to support billions of dollars of Affordable Care Act cost-sharing subsidies vital to insurers and moderate to middle-income beneficiaries while a lawsuit challenging their constitutionality works its way through the courts. (Pianin, 4/3)
The nation鈥檚 health insurers, which are key to the survival of the Affordable Care Act, are asking the Trump administration to keep a program congressional Republicans have sued to eliminate. Kristine Grow, spokeswoman for America鈥檚 Health Insurance Plans, said the push is to keep a 鈥渃ost sharing鈥 agreement that subsidizes co-payments and deductibles for people whose incomes fall below 250 percent of the federal poverty level, about $61,000 for a family of four. (Radelat, 4/4)
The CMS has sent a rule designed to stabilize the individual health insurance market to the Office of Management and Budget for final review. The Trump administration hopes to finalize the rule very soon. The administration is rushing to publish the final rule to calm insurers, who are nervously trying to decide within the next two months whether to offer plans for 2018 and what to charge for premiums. (Dickson, 4/3)
