Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Positive And Negative Takes On Obamacare's Future
We keep reading that Donald Trump poses a unique threat to constitutional norms if he鈥檚 elected. His liberal critics would have more credibility if they called out the Obama Administration for its current (not potential) abuses of power, and here鈥檚 an opportunity: The Administration is crafting an illegal bailout to prop up the President鈥檚 health-care law. (9/30)
It was a case of the dog that didn鈥檛 bark. For 90 minutes on Monday, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton clashed in their first presidential debate on a full range of issues. But meriting not a single mention? Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act ripped apart the nation and dominated political argument for several years. But now, six years after enactment, Obamacare isn鈥檛 on the radar screen during this election. And for good reason: The predicted apocalypse has not occurred. (Dana Milbank, 9/30)
The Affordable Care Act delivered another shock to Nebraskans when Blue Cross Blue Shield announced that it no longer could afford to sell health insurance through the federal marketplace exchange. The announcement is the third in a series of blows to the health care system in the state. Earlier this year UnitedHealth Group announced it would no longer sell individual exchange policies. Prior to that CoOpportunity Health, which operated in Nebraska, collapsed and its customers had to find coverage elsewhere. (10/1)
The problem is, there is no way a 鈥減ublic option鈥 could be sustainable 鈥 both as 鈥減ublic鈥 and as an 鈥渙ption.鈥 The reason is, any public plan would have to operate on the basis one of the following two principles, and each one excludes either the sustainability, or its ability to remain an 鈥渙ption.鈥 These principles are: 1. The program must be self-supporting; that is, health care costs and administrative costs must be paid for out of premiums received (except possible for taxpayer-funded start-up costs). 2. The program must continue to exist, and be available to all customers who want it in all parts of the country, at 鈥渁ffordable鈥 prices. (Robert Book, 9/30)
