Trump Administration Grants Insurers 3 Extra Weeks To Calculate 2018 Rate Requests
The added time comes as insurers face uncertainty over whether President Donald Trump will cut off some subsidies they receive to help offset the costs of low-income consumers. At the same time, though, Politico details how the administration is spending millions to shore up some insurance markets, and the Associated Press reports on how some state attorneys general are taking on a greater role in opposing the administration's agenda.
The New York Times:
Health Insurers Get More Time To Calculate Increases For 2018
The Trump administration is giving health insurance companies more time to calculate price increases for 2018 because of uncertainty caused by the president’s threat to cut off crucial subsidies paid to insurers on behalf of millions of low-income people. Federal health officials said the deadline for insurers to file their rate requests would be extended by nearly three weeks, to Sept. 5. (Pear, 8/13)
Politico:
How The Trump Administration Is Spending Millions To Shore Up Obamacare
President Donald Trump has threatened to blow up Obamacare. But his own administration is separately dangling hundreds of millions of dollars before states to bail out their insurance markets. Alaska will get $323 million over the next five years to coax its lone Obamacare insurer to remain in the market and hold down premiums. At least four other states, including some that have vociferously opposed the Affordable Care Act, are seeking similar deals. ... The White House said Thursday it applauds the stabilization efforts even as Trump steps up the pressure on the Senate to resume efforts to try to pass legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. (Pradhan, 8/13)
The Associated Press:
Democratic Attorneys Escalate Legal Fight Against Trump
[A]n emboldened coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has unleashed a torrent of lower-profile litigation they argue is necessary to protect public health, the environment and consumers from a Republican White House. State attorneys from Massachusetts to New York to California, often working together, have brought more than 40 legal actions against the Trump administration over the last seven months. The pace, which both parties describe as unprecedented, has produced an average of one lawsuit or legal motion every five days since Trump’s inauguration, not including many more letters, legal threats and formal comments to federal agencies. (Peoples, 8/13)