1M Cancellations, 1.2M Enrollments: How Many Californians Really Signed Up?
Obamacare’s first open enrollment period has ended, and Covered California reported impressive numbers: A staggering 1.2 million sign-ups, which left the website staggering under “unprecedented” demand, too. But critics say that enrollment figures have been inflated by so many plan cancellations in the state.
Why Most Health Wonks Aren’t Fretting About This Year’s Biggest ACA Court Case
Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, may end up as “the signature ruling” of this term. But an increasing number of observers are focusing on a different case, heard just down the street on the same day and one level lower on the judicial tree.
Ignore the Hype: Health Care’s ‘Cost Disease’ Hasn’t Been Cured.
Health care’s cost curve is finally bending, and no story may be more important. But the gains could be short-lived — the industry’s long-term “cost disease” is only in remission, says one of the nation’s most prominent economists.
Obamacare Payment Pilots Are Struggling To Prove They Work. Here’s Why It’s OK.
To slow health spending, the federal government, dozens of payers and thousands of providers are spending time — and money — on pilots that ultimately may not lead anywhere. And that’s OK, experts say.
1.5M Young Adults Must Still Sign Up for ACA To Hit Projections. Don’t Count on It.
While the pace of sign-ups by young adults nudged up in January, enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces is still well off expectations. Experts acknowledge it’s a concern, but not a crisis — yet.
Will This State Be the First To Expand Obamacare — and Then Take It Away?
About 100,000 residents of Arkansas have gotten coverage through the “private option,” a unique application of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. But the program only runs through June, and Republicans — concerned by costs and emboldened by state legislative victories — are threatening to kill it after just six months.
Looking Back, Some Obamacare Glitches Didn’t Matter. These Four Still Do.
For all the talk about broken websites, some of the high-profile problems with the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges turned out to be surmountable. But other complications have emerged and remain concerning.
This Program Was Bigger Than Covered California. Why Did We Ignore It?
By December 2013, nearly 700,000 people had obtained health coverage through California’s Low-Income Health Program, the state’s early expansion of Obamacare coverage — and the “most overlooked” part of health reform, one expert tells California Healthline. Here’s a look at lessons to be learned from the LIHP.
Most Small Health Plans Aren’t Thriving in Covered California. Meet Two Exceptions.
One small health insurer dropped out of Covered California. Another was kicked out, and a third is openly hunting for business. But a pair of plans are successfully competing with the big players dominating the exchange and carving out a slice of the market for themselves.
Early data suggest that customers are using the new health insurance exchange to pick plans from large, familiar companies like Anthem and Kaiser, even if plans from smaller companies are comparable in price.