(Reuters)—U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc on Wednesday raised the prospect of smaller participation in the individual Obamacare exchanges in 2018, saying it would have a market-by-market strategy that hinges on 2017 profitability. The company said that losses due to sicker-than-expected customers in its individual Obamacare plans were a bit less than foreseen in the third…
More U.S. Counties May See Obamacare Marketplace Monopoly
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Nearly a third of U.S. counties will likely be served by only one insurer that participates in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in 2017, according to an analysis published Aug. 28 by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The 31% of U.S. counties that will have just a single option of insurers within the…
Aetna CEO Warned It Would Cut Obamacare If Humana Deal Was Blocked
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Aetna Inc.’s CEO said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the review of its deal to buy rival Humana Inc that the insurer would exit much of the individual Obamacare insurance market if the agency challenged the merger. In the July 5 letter, Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini…
Aetna Pulls Back on Obamacare Health Insurance Plans in 2017
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Aetna Inc., the No. 3 U.S. health insurer, on Monday said that due to persistent financial losses on Obamacare plans, it will sell individual insurance on the government-run online marketplaces in only four states next year, down from the current 15 states. Aetna’s decision follows similar moves from UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana…
Health Has Improved in States That Expanded Low-Income Insurance Options
(Reuters Health)—In states that expanded either their Medicaid programs or private insurance options for low-income Americans, beneficiaries used more outpatient and preventive care and less emergency care. They also had better subjective overall health, compared with low-income residents of states with no expanded coverage. All states participate in Medicaid, a partnership with the federal government…
UnitedHealth Sees Further Losses for Obamacare Insurance
(Reuters)—UnitedHealth Group Inc. on Tuesday said it anticipated another $200 million more in losses this year on the individual insurance business created under U.S. President Barack Obama’s national healthcare reform law, citing the program’s high medical costs. The largest U.S. health insurer says the problem was confined to this one business line, which it plans…
Precision Medicine Latest Initiative in War on Autoimmunity, Rheumatic Illnesses
It’s been said that there is no greater bully pulpit than the American presidency. Linking the force of moral persuasion to this most powerful office—one that is capable of issuing executive orders and bypassing the wishes of Congress or rousing public opinion in favor of or against bills that are in the process of being…
Ryan Wants to End Obamacare Cost Protections for Sick Consumers
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called on Wednesday for an end to Obamacare‘s financial protections for people with serious medical conditions, saying these consumers should be placed in state high-risk pools. In election-year remarks that could shed light on an expected Republican healthcare alternative, Ryan said existing federal policy that prevents…
U.S. Top Court Rejects New Challenge to Obamacare
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Supreme Court, which delivered major rulings in 2012 and 2015 preserving President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, on Tuesday declined to take up a new, long-shot challenge to Obamacare brought by an Iowa artist. The court turned away an appeal by Matt Sissel, who had asserted that the 2010 Affordable Care Act…
High-Deductible Health Plan Enrollees Aren’t Shopping Around
hgh(Reuters Health)—High-deductible health insurance plans have been tied to lower healthcare spending, but a new study suggests the reason is not that enrollees in those plans are savvier. High-deductible plans have lower premiums, but when enrollees need medical care, it costs them more out-of-pocket. Researchers had expected that these patients are spending less because they’re…
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