HHS: Millions Are Missing Out On Health Law Tax Credits
About 2.5 million people who are not buying insurance through the exchanges are missing out on subsidies.
The Associated Press:
Millions Leaving Government Insurance Money On The Table?
Millions of Americans who bought individual health insurance outside the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges may be leaving money on the table if they skip those marketplaces again in picking 2017 coverage, a new report says. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 2.5 million people who bought so-called off-exchange coverage for this year might have income levels that qualify them for tax credits to help pay the premium. (Murphy, 10/4)
In other national health care news —
The Wall Street Journal:
Antitobacco Groups Sue FDA To Require Graphic Warning Labels On Cigarette Packs
Antitobacco groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to push the agency to try again to require graphic warning labels on cigarettes. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, urges the court to force the FDA to abide by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Under the law, the agency was required to issue rules by late 2011 for color graphics on cigarettes that depict the harms of smoking. (Mickle, 10/4)
Morning Consult:
CBO: Bill Blocking Medicare Drug Payment Reform Demo Would Prevent $1.1 Billion In Savings
A bill that would block the Obama administration from implementing a proposal meant to test how Medicare reimburses for some prescription drugs would prevent $1.1 billion in savings over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office projects. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposal would test a new way for Medicare Part B to reimburse providers for drugs covered under that program. (McIntire, 10/4)
Stat:
Ben Stiller Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis, Says PSA Test Saved His Life
Ben Stiller has been treated for prostate cancer, he revealed on “The Howard Stern Show” Tuesday, after his doctors diagnosed him in June 2014. He is now cancer-free, and he credits his health to a controversial screening test that has divided experts because of its potential for overtreating slow-growing tumors. “Taking the PSA test saved my life,” Stiller wrote in a blog post on Medium Tuesday. The PSA test detects an enzyme, prostate specific antigen, that is released by prostate cells. Elevated levels of PSA could indicate cancer. (Love, 10/4)