Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Burwell Touts Enrollment Gains, Expects More Progress On Medicaid Expansion
The 4 million new people who signed up for insurance on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange for 2016 are one of several signs the open enrollment period that ended Sunday was a success, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Friday. As further evidence of the administration's successes, Burwell also pointed to her continued discussions with states considering expanding Medicaid to all of those earning too little to get subsidized ACA plans. (O'Donnell, 2/6)
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell on Friday hailed the health law鈥檚 2016 enrollment gains and said the department was already beginning to gear up for the next enrollment period. In addition to the health law, Burwell鈥檚 agency is juggling many other priorities these days, including coordinating her agency鈥檚 response to the emerging threat of the Zika virus, President Barack Obama鈥檚 鈥淢oonshot on Cancer鈥 initiative and the growing epidemic of opioid abuse. 鈥淭he beat goes on,鈥 she said during a briefing with reporters at HHS headquarters. (Carey, 2/5)
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says immigration reform would help achieve universal health coverage. Asked about the further steps needed to achieve universal coverage, with roughly 30 million people remaining uninsured, Burwell told a roundtable of reporters Friday that immigration reform is one step, along with continued growth in ObamaCare鈥檚 marketplaces and Medicaid expansion. (Sullivan, 2/5)