As big insurers flee Obamacare exchanges, others are jumping in

Jun 21, 2017
Today is the deadline for health insurance companies to decide if they’re going to be in or out of the health care exchanges in 2018. Several of the big insurers, like Anthem and Humana, are bailing on the exchanges in many markets, limiting or eliminating options for patients using Obamacare. But while some companies are […]

Will health insurers pull out of Obamacare exchanges in 2018? The deadline looms.

Jun 21, 2017
Today  is the deadline for insurers to submit plans for selling policies on the Obamacare exchanges in 2018. The political climate has destabilized the market for many insurers, and 44 counties have already decided to pull out entirely, leaving thousands potentially without coverage. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Inside Trump’s budget, a big cut for Obamacare’s healthcare.gov

May 23, 2017
The site where about 10 million people shop for insurance could get harder to navigate.
If the proposed cuts to healthcare.gov go through, it will make it that much harder for the millions who use the site to get coverage, said Jessica Altman, chief of staff at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

If $7 billion in Obamacare subsidies disappear, insurers will likely raise premiums

May 23, 2017
Legal wrangling between the Trump Administration and House Republicans leaves $7 billion of Obamacare subsidies in question. That has health insurance executives reaching for antacid, because it means they may have to jack up premiums. They have to assume that fewer people will buy health insurance if they don’t get subsidies to pay for it, […]

5 percent of patients drive 50 percent of health care spending. A new bill aims to change that.

May 16, 2017
Republicans and Democrats don’t quite see eye to eye when it comes to repealing Obamacare. But when the Senate Finance Committee meets today, there’s likely to be common ground on how to improve care for the 3.5 million sickest and most expensive Medicare patients: a new bipartisan bill that targets new treatments for the people […]

How small businesses are dealing with health care limbo

Apr 10, 2017
Now what? Neither Obamacare advocates or critics like the uncertainty as Washington grapples with the issue.
Dr. Scott Bralow cracks open a crate outside his new primary care office.
Dan Gorenstein/Marketplace

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Health insurers weigh choice of offering plans on Obamacare exchanges in 2018 or pulling out

Mar 27, 2017
What now? That’s the question after House Republicans last week failed to pass a repeal-and-replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Over the weekend President Trump predicted the ACA will “explode.” One way that could happen is if more insurers drop out of state and federal exchanges in 2018. They’re worried […]

Weekly Wrap: Health care bill falls apart. Now what?

Mar 24, 2017
Leigh Gallagher of Fortune and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news. This week, they talk about the GOP’s health care bill falling apart and what comes next now that President Donald Trump shifts focus on tax reform.   
President Donald Trump asked Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to withdraw the Republican health care bill moments before a vote.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Conservatives want the government to stop mandating what insurers must cover

Mar 23, 2017
The latest carrot that House leadership and the White House are using to win conservative Republican votes for the health care bill is repealing an Obamacare provision that standardized insurance policies. Under Obamacare, virtually all insurance policies cover things like hospitalization, mental health, prescription drugs and pregnancies – known as essential health benefits. But guaranteeing those […]