Tag Archives: ACA

Tracking the Trump administration’s steps to undermine the ACA

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

Photo: Ted Eytan via FlickrA 2017 rally in front of the White House in support of the ACA.

Can’t keep track of all the ways the Trump administration has weakened (many Democrats would say “sabotaged”) the Affordable Care Act?

Here are 14 (and counting) instances, according to a useful graphic from Haeyoun Park and Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times’ Upshot.

The most recent is the July 10 announcement slashing funding for ACA enrollment outreach workers, also known as navigators. Continue reading →

The hits keep coming to ACA’s navigator service

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

Photo: Rob Briscoe via Flickr

The Trump administration earlier this month slashed funding for ACA navigators – a form of enrollment assistance – for the second consecutive year. For the 2019 enrollment year beginning November 1, the government will provide $10 million, down from $36 million last fall – which was down from $63 million the prior year.

In addition, they changed the rules of the game. In addition to guiding people through ACA market options, the navigators also will help people enroll in the new insurance plans authorized by the Trump administration that do not comply with patient and consumer protections in the ACA – and may well serve to undermine the ACA by drawing younger and healthier people. Continue reading →

ACA-era health care innovation centers under assessment

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Rebecca Vesely

About Rebecca Vesely

Rebecca Vesely is AHCJ's topic leader on health information technology and a freelance writer. She has written about health, science and medicine for AFP, the Bay Area News Group, Modern Healthcare, Wired, Scientific American online and many other news outlets.

Photo: Army Medicine via Flickr

It seems like every week there’s a new press release about a new health innovation center opening up shop.

Since passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which emphasized the transition from patient volume to value, innovation centers have been popping up all over the country. Becker’s Hospital Review has identified at least 50 hospitals with innovation programs. Continue reading →

HHS further reduces role in ACA open enrollment

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

HealthCare.gov

Buzzfeed’s Kate Nocera and Paul McLeod last week broke the story that the Trump administration – which has already cut the marketing and navigator budget for the coming shortened open enrollment season – is now pulling out of enrollment events across the country. Its 10 regional directors will not be helping with planning, a break from Obama administration practices. Continue reading →

Senate Republicans make last-ditch attempt at Obamacare repeal

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Sen. Lindsey Graham

The Graham-Cassidy repeal bill – which essentially would change Medicaid into a per-capita cap – has suddenly come back to life. Republicans are making one more effort to live up to years of campaign pledges to repeal the Affordable Care Act before they run out of time.

The Senate has to vote by Sept. 30 if it wants to pass a repeal bill with just 50 votes. After that, the current budget resolution is no longer in effect, and any legislation would require a bipartisan 60 votes. Continue reading →

Why ACOs have potential for improving end-of-life care

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Joanne Kenen

About Joanne Kenen

Joanne Kenen, (@JoanneKenen) the health editor at Politico, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on health reform resources and tip sheets at joanne@healthjournalism.org. Follow her on Facebook.

Photo: Beverly Yuen Thompson via Flickr

Accountable Care Organizations, which were created by the Affordable Care Act as one way to improve the delivery of health care, may become an important want to reduce the wide variation in end-of-life (EOL) care, two academic researchers suggest in a recent Health Affairs blog post.

As we have pointed out repeatedly, while the political and fiscal battles have been over the coverage provisions in the ACA, much of the law also contains incentives and programs to improve both care quality and efficiency. And there are ample opportunities to do so toward the end of life, including in hospice. Continue reading →