San Joaquin Valley’s Drop In The Uninsured Outpaces State’s Rate, Survey Finds
In the valley, more than 75 percent of residents who did not have coverage before the federal health law took effect now have insurance, according to the survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Fresno Bee:
Valley Has Insured 78 Percent Of Uninsured Since Obamacare Began
The San Joaquin Valley has insured more than 75 percent of its previously uninsured residents since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, according to a new survey. ... [That is] is higher than the 72 percent insured statewide. ... The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation also showed only 13 percent of people in the Valley who are eligible for coverage remain uninsured. (Anderson, 8/22)
CBS News:
Obamacare Leads To More Insured Californians, Access To Drugs
Seven out of 10 Californians who were uninsured prior to the launch of the Affordable Care Act now have health insurance, a new survey found. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation California Longitudinal Panel survey, 72 percent of Californians who had no insurance in 2013 have health insurance in 2016. ... But a national study released in Health Affairs journal this week, conducted by researchers at the Rand Corporation, revealed another impact of the Affordable Care Act and increased access to health insurance coverage: increased access to prescription drugs across the country. (Albarazi, 8/19)
Sierra Sun Times:
New Survey Shows The Affordable Care Act Has Dramatically Reduced California's Uninsured Rate
Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said a survey released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation titled “A Final Look: California’s Previously Uninsured After the ACA’s Third Open Enrollment Period” provides a compelling picture of how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is changing the lives of millions of Californians. The survey found that 72 percent of California’s previously uninsured population has gained health coverage since the Affordable Care Act went into effect. That share is up from 58 percent of Californians who became insured after the launch of Covered California and the Medi-Cal expansion in 2014. (8/20)
In other national news about health enrollment --
The New York Times:
Think Your Obamacare Plan Will Be Like Employer Coverage? Think Again
When Obamacare was developed, one goal was to allow middle-class Americans to use the new marketplaces to buy the same kind of health insurance they had at their jobs. People could retire early, or quit a corporate job and become a freelancer, and still have the great care and financial protection that come with high-end plans. But six years into the health law, the reality is that a typical Obamacare plan looks more like Medicaid, only with a high deductible. (Sanger-Katz, 8/21)
The New York Times' The Upshot:
Obamacare Options? In Many Parts Of Country, Only One Insurer Will Remain
So much for choice. In many parts of the country, Obamacare customers will be down to one insurer when they go to sign up for coverage next year on the public exchanges. A central tenet of the federal health law was to offer a range of affordable health plans through competition among private insurers. But a wave of insurer failures and the recent decision by several of the largest companies, including Aetna, to exit markets are leaving large portions of the country with functional monopolies for next year. According to an analysis done for The Upshot by the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform, 17 percent of Americans eligible for an Affordable Care Act plan may have only one insurer to choose next year. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 8/21)
The Associated Press:
Tanning Industry Blames 10,000 Salon Closings On 'Obamacare'
The tanning salon industry is feeling burned by "Obamacare." Business owners around the country say the little-noticed 10 percent tax on tanning in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has crippled the industry, forcing the closing of nearly 10,000 of the more than 18,000 tanning salons in the U.S. Experts say the industry is overstating the effects of the "tan tax" and that it has been hurt by other factors, too, including public health warnings about the dangers of tanning and the passage of laws in dozens of states restricting the use of tanning salons by minors. (Kennedy, 8/20)