Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Low-Wage Workers Fall In Coverage Gap
When the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 federal marketplace opened last year, Beth and Doug Warner of St. Petersburg asked a navigator to enroll them. But they discovered their income wasn鈥檛 high enough to get a subsidy. Without one, Doug Warner said, the policy for the couple would cost $700 a month. 鈥淏asically the choice was, 鈥楰eep the roof over your head or buy healthcare.'鈥 It鈥檚 one of the great ironies of the health overhaul. Floridians most in need of health insurance -- adults below the poverty line -- are often blocked from coverage the Affordable Care Act provides. (Gentry, 12/4)
The Feb. 15 deadline to sign up for health insurance coverage on the federal Healthcare.gov website is quickly approaching, and low-wage workers like DeAngelo Morales and Isaac McQueen are stuck between a rock and hard place. McQueen, 35, a father of two, has worked at Domino鈥檚 Pizza for 10 years as a pizza maker. He says he doesn鈥檛 qualify for subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act. He also doesn鈥檛 qualify for Medicaid after North Carolina declined to expand the program to adults who make more than 49 percent of the federal poverty level, which works out to $9,697 a year for a family of three. (Namkoong, 12/5)
Tom and LaDonna Appelbaum have a knack for good timing. The West County couple spent a nerve-wracking four years without health insurance but never had a serious medical issue to worry about. When it came time to sign up for coverage under President Barack Obama鈥檚 health overhaul last year, the Appelbaums decided they weren鈥檛 going to take any more chances. They qualified for a subsidy to help reduce the cost of their monthly premium. And it wasn鈥檛 a moment too soon. In June, Tom Appelbaum, a self-employed attorney, had a boating accident that required surgery on his right hand. And just two months later LaDonna Appelbaum was diagnosed with breast cancer. (Shapiro, 12/4)
Many members of mixed-status families have balked at enrolling in Medi-Cal or Covered California over concerns that application information might end up in the hands of immigration authorities. That won't happen, according to Pedro Ribiero, assistant director of public affairs for immigration and customs enforcement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (Gorn, 12/4)
Premiums for health care policies sold in Dallas County by Cigna and BlueCross BlueShield of Texas are higher next year. Premiums for Aetna and Molina plans are lower. Aetna is raising deductibles and co-pays, though, while many BlueCross plans are standing pat on those costs. The changes offer consumers more choices, and more reason to look at total costs as well as premiums. (Landers, 12/4)
