JD Vance Seemingly Flips on Obamacare And Says Trump Has A Repeal Plan
As a senatorial candidate and even as a senator, GOP VP nominee JD Vance poo-pooed the idea of repealing the popular Affordable Care Act (ACA). He argued the program was helping many working Americans. It was a compassionate argument that many viewed as novel in the GOP.
But on a Sunday news show, Vance said that Trump has a repeal plan and its cornerstone appears to be the old conservative policy of removing sicker populations from most insurance and putting them in high-risk pools. Despite Vance saying people would be protected, it certainly raises the issue of what happens to people with pre-existing conditions – both from a coverage and affordability standpoint.
Such high-risk pools rarely worked as they did not protect patients with pre-existing conditions, were not funded correctly, and had exorbitant premiums. The GOP argues that community rating as introduced in Obamacare hurts healthier people by driving up premiums. But what they forget is that is how employer coverage works.
Healthcare will be a swing-state issue and Vance’s comments now will be used as campaign fodder by the Harris campaign – very appropriately as it is such a terrible policy. I will have a blog next week on the subject.
Additional article: https://thehill.com/homenews/4880616-jd-vance-donald-trump-health-care/
#aca #obamacare #aca #exchanges #trump #vance #election2024 #harris
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4882811-vance-health-insurance-high-risk-pools/
Better Medicare Alliance Issues Annual State of Medicare Advantage
The Better Medicare Alliance has issued its annual State of Medicare Advantage (MA) and as usual the advocacy group does a good job of cataloging the benefits of MA. It thoroughly details the diversity of MA, the savings enrollees receive, and the much better quality over the traditional program.
MA enrollees spend an average of $2,541 less per year on out-of-pockets costs and premiums compared to those enrolled in traditional Medicare. The average monthly premium in Medicare Advantage is just $18.50 this year compared with as much as hundreds for a Medicare supplement policy. And 95% of MA enrollees report being satisfied with the quality of their health care. You would never hear any of this from MA opponents. The report is a must read.
#bma #medicareadvantage
NCQA Releases Own Star Ratings For Health Plans
We are in the middle of the Medicare Advantage (MA) plan preview and Star announcement season. It runs from the beginning of August to early October, when 2025 Stars for each MA contract will be announced. But the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) does its own more rigorous Star ratings for commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid plans.
NCQA is the nation’s quality arbiter, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) delegating and vesting NCQA with a series of responsibilities.
NCQA released its own annual plan rankings, with just five plans evaluated earning top 5 Stars – three commercial and two MA. Just two plans received 1 star. NCQA’s rating system (1 to 5) and criteria are similar to CMS’, but NCQA is ahead of government programs on things like health equity. Most plans included in the rankings earned between three and four stars.
Additional article: https://www.beckerspayer.com/payer/the-best-rated-health-plans-of-2024-ncqa.html
#medicareadvantage #stars #ncqa #commercial #medicare #medicaid #healthplans #insurers
Walgreens Cops To Fraud Allegation And Will Pay Hefty Fine
As if Walgreens does not have enough financial troubles, the troubled retail drug chain will pay a $106.8 million fine to the federal government to settle allegations that it billed government healthcare programs for prescriptions never dispensed. Walgreens did not reverse claims when beneficiaries in each program failed to pick up their scripts. Instead, the drug was returned to stock and resold. Walgreens says it was all a software error and previously paid some of it back.
(Article may require a subscription.)
#walgreens #fwa
Florida Regulator Approves Sale Of Cigna Medicare Line to HCSC
The Florida insurance regulator approved the sale of Cigna’s Medicare Advantage (MA) line to Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a mutual, multi-state Big Blue. Today, HCSC has just over 200,000 MA lives. Cigna has about 600,000. HCSC will become a big MA player. Other states and the federal government still need to approve the transaction.
#cigna #hcsc #medicareadvantage
— Marc S. Ryan
