Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Senators Slam Oversight Of State Exchange Spending
Two Republican committee chairmen are pressing the Obama administration to improve its oversight of how state-run ObamaCare marketplaces use federal dollars, citing an inspector general report on potential violations of law. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday asking for the agency to issue clarifying guidance on how the federal dollars can be spent. (Sullivan, 5/4)
Obamacare’s SHOP exchanges may be struggling to attract small-business clients, but they’ve got one advantage going for them: lower premiums than the off-exchange competition, according to a report published Monday in Health Affairs. (Norman, 5/4)
Most addiction treatment programs lack the essential infrastructure to fulfill the Affordable Care Act’s promise to expand access to substance abuse treatment, according to a study published in Health Affairs Monday. (Villacorta, 5/4)
And an online survey of ER doctors finds that emergency room visits have increased under the health law despite its intention to reduce their use -
Emergency room visits have increased under ObamaCare despite the law’s intention to reduce their use for standard medical care, a new survey finds. The survey of ER doctors finds that three-quarters say their number of patients has increased since ObamaCare’s insurance mandate took effect at the beginning of 2014. (Sullivan, 5/4)
Too many Americans get care in emergency rooms instead of doctors offices — and expanded health coverage is making the problem worse rather than fixing it. Three in four emergency room doctors said patient visits have increased since the Affordable Care Act's requirement to have health insurance went into effect, in an email survey released Monday by the American College of Emergency Physicians. (Winfield Cunningham, 5/4)
