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Payers Expect Continuation of Enhanced Exchange Subsidies Health plan executives say they expect continuation of enhanced premium subsidies in the Exchange in some form past 2025. Oscar Health CEO Mark Bertolini says both parties have an incentive to extend the subsidies. Executives think there will be a bipartisan solution to extend the subsidies. Expiration of the subsidies could lead to surging premiums and destabilization of access and participation by insurers. At the same time, the price tag is big, especially as the GOP plans for its extension of the Trump tax credits. I expressed in a recent blog that there could be an extension of the enhanced subsidies via a year-end stop-gap bill or during a 2025 master bill.  But I am not as optimistic as the plan executives. #aca #obamacare #exchanges https://www.beckerspayer.com/policy-updates/payer-executives-expect-limited-change-in-aca-subsidies.html KFF Looks At 2025 Medicare Advantage Offerings Just after Medicare Advantage (MA) benefits were released, the Kaiser Family Foundation

RFK Jr. Nominated By Trump To Be HHS Secretary In the biggest news of the day, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Democratic supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Kennedy is known to be a vaccine skeptic and someone who will focus on food safety, fluoride, and chronic disease. He is also known to be extremely critical of a number of the regulatory agencies under HHS, especially the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the food and drug industries. Many are already characterizing the nomination as one of the toughest battles along with Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz. Additional articles: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-policy/rfk-jr-robert-f-kennedy-hhs-donald-trump-vaccines-covid-19-pandemic and https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/trump-nominates-rfk-jr-to-lead-hhs/733009/ and https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/112913 and https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/trump-picks-rfk-jr-as-hhs-secretary-7-things-to-know.html and https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4991324-trump-nominates-kennedy-health-department/ and https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4991964-rfk-jr-vows-to-be-honest-public-servant-as-hhs-chief/ and https://insidehealthpolicy.com/daily-news/rfk-jr-trump-s-choice-lead-hhs-sets-stage-health-information-war and https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/trump-rfk-maha-federal-health-agencies-takeover/ and https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-policy/cdc-director-mandy-cohen-rfk-jr-robert-f-kennedy-vaccines-donald-trump (Some articles require a subscription.) #hhs #rfkjr #trump #healthcare https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/rfk-jr-selected-lead-department-health-and-human-services CMS Says It Will Deprioritize Star Call Center Measures A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) executive