Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obamacare Satisfaction Scores Top Traditional Plans
People who bought coverage through ObamaCare are generally more satisfied than those with other types of insurance, according to a new national survey. ObamaCare customers rated their satisfaction over the last year as 696 out of 1,000, compared to the 679-point rating by customers with employer-based plans, according to a large survey by the consumer research firm J.D. Power. (Ferris, 4/23)
Now that's a West Coast offense! Two states that run their own Obamacare markets鈥擟alifornia and Washington鈥攁re blowing away the much-larger, federally run HealthCare.gov when it comes to signing up customers during a tax season grace period. That special enrollment offer is open to people who only just learned they owe a fine for not having health insurance last year. Through last Friday, a total of more than 38,700 people selected health plans during special enrollment in California and Washington, officials said. (Morgan, 4/23)
And state lawmakers in California reject a proposal that would have required them to get聽their insurance through Covered California, while uninsured Floridians find ways to get聽care -
Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday shot down a proposal that would have required all California state legislators to get their health insurance from Covered California, the benefits exchange set up to implement Obamacare in the state. The Assembly Rules Committee split along party lines, with seven Democrats opposing AB 1109 and three Republicans in support of the bill by Assemblyman Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita). The measure would have forced lawmakers to give up the taxpayer-subsidized health plans provided by the Legislature and individually sign up for Covered California. (McGreevy, 4/23)
Every Tuesday, a giant blue bus parks in front of the Pentecostal Tabernacle Church in Miami Gardens. Inside looks like a doctor鈥檚 office with a reclining exam chair and anatomical charts. You only know that it鈥檚 not a traditional office when it shakes as people get on and off. Cynthia Louis comes to this free mobile health clinic about twice a month to work with Doctor Fred Anderson and various medical students on mitigating the constant aching in her joints. Louis is one of the 850,000 Floridians in the health care 鈥渃overage gap鈥濃攕he earns too little to get help buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act but doesn鈥檛 qualify for Medicaid. (Sayre, 4/23)
