Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House GOP Lawsuit Highlights Little-Noticed Health Law Funding Provision
In mounting the latest court challenge to the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans are focusing on a little-noticed provision of the law that offers financial assistance to low- and moderate-income people. Under this part of the law, insurance companies must reduce co-payments, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for some people in health plans purchased through the new public insurance exchanges. The federal government reimburses insurers for the 鈥渃ost-sharing reductions.鈥 In their lawsuit, House Republicans say the Obama administration needed, but never received, an appropriation to make these payments to insurance companies. (Pear, 10/29)
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times examines how President Barack Obama's recent executive order on immigrants might have implications for a case the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear about other subsidies in the health law that help customers pay their premiums --
Two years ago, the chief justice surprised many by joining liberals on the court to uphold the constitutionality of Obama's Affordable Care Act. And he probably holds the deciding vote in a second legal challenge to the healthcare law 鈥 one that seeks to eliminate government insurance subsidies to low- and middle-income enrollees in two-thirds of the nation.But Roberts, an appointee of President George W. Bush, has shown an increasing skepticism toward what conservatives call Obama's tendency to overreach. (Memoli, 12/1)
