Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: Health Law's Historic Headway In Reducing Uninsured May Be Tapped Out
President Barack Obama's legacy health care law has reduced the number of Americans going without health insurance to historically low levels, but continued progress threatens to stall this year, according to a new government report. The study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the law may be reaching a limit to its effectiveness in a nation politically divided over the government's role in guaranteeing coverage. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/3)
In other health law news聽鈥
The small Boston insurer Minuteman Health is suing the federal government for the second time over the rollout of certain provisions of President Obama鈥檚 health care law. Minuteman, launched in 2013, blames those provisions for making it difficult for the company to operate and grow. In the latest suit, Minuteman says it is owed $5.5 million under the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 鈥渞isk corridor鈥 program, which was designed to help stabilize health insurance markets. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/2)
On the second day of open enrollment, the MNsure Contact Center had received 4,100 calls by late afternoon. For people who got through to a representative, the average wait time was 6 minutes. MNsure officials said the call volume was similar to past experience. In contrast, officials were sent scrambling Tuesday as more than 80,000 call attempts bombarded the MNsure helpline. Officials say they continue to investigate the source of the calls. (Benson, 11/2)
