Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Report Card, White House Economists Warn Health Law Repeal, Replace Would Have 'Profound Implications'
The Obama administration on Tuesday released a wide-ranging, positive report card on the Affordable Care Act, describing how Obamacare has driven down the rate of people without health insurance "to its lowest level in history," increased financial security and access for consumers who seek medical care, and bent the cost-curve of health-care spending. (Mangan, 12/13)
The White House鈥檚 top economists released a sweeping report Tuesday warning of 鈥減rofound implications鈥 for a majority of Americans if ObamaCare is repealed and replaced. The report, dubbed 鈥渢he economic record鈥 of President Obama鈥檚 healthcare reforms, marks the administration's most public effort since the presidential election to pressure Republicans into keeping parts of the law in place. (Ferris, 12/13)
The Obama administration pressured the federal health care law鈥檚 foes Tuesday to think twice about repealing the overhaul in the new year, releasing a report that defends the six-year-old reforms as a lifesaver that鈥檚 covered millions and ushered in a raft of benefits that will save people money. The White House Council of Economic Advisers said 20 million more people have insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, and the share of Americans reporting they delayed care because of costs has dropped by a third since 2010. (Howell, 12/13)
The White House Council of Economic Advisers said in a report released Tuesday that the U.S. has made 鈥渉istoric progress鈥 under the Obama administration when it comes to expanding access to health insurance and reforming how care is delivered. 鈥淭he six years since the ACA became law have seen very encouraging trends in both health care costs and health care quality,鈥 the report says, referring to the Affordable Care Act and citing the slower growth of health care costs and indications of higher quality of care. (McIntire, 12/13)
The compilation of federal and state-by-state data comes as Republicans in Congress work through their strategy to repeal large aspects of the overhaul. The information, which does not provide any new statistics on the ongoing open enrollment period that runs through Jan. 31, is intended to highlight the benefits of the 2010 health care overhaul (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). More than 20 million new individuals received insurance under the law. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late November, when the most recent public data from the agency was released, said 2.1 million new individuals have signed up or re-enrolled for insurance during the current open enrollment period. (Williams, 12/13)
