Record Number of Americans Have Health Insurance, But Loss May Be Happening

Record Number of Americans Enrolled in Marketplace Coverage, But Others May Soon Be Kicked Out of Medicaid

president biden has staked his health agenda on lowering healthcare costs and establishing the Affordable Care Act.

He got good news yesterday: record breaking 16.3 million Americans Obamacare was signed during the health law’s 10th enrollment season — a figure that comes after the country’s uninsured rate fell to its lowest level early last year.

Separately, state health officials will soon face the daunting task of determining who is no longer eligible for Medicaid three years after being allowed to continue participating in the program during the pandemic. Some experts — and groups involved in the work — worry that the number of uninsured Americans could start to rise. They worry that some people who lost Medicaid don’t know where to go next to get health insurance, posing new challenges for both federal and state health officials.

“My concern is that our national coverage may have hit the high water mark,” said Sabrina Colette, Co-Director of Georgetown University Center for Health Insurance Reform.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra:

Last year’s sweeping government funding bill marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic-era Medicaid rules that prevented states from kicking people out of their coverage. The spending package gives states the green light to remove people who are no longer eligible for safety net programs from their insurance coverage starting in April.

“As a government, we’re absolutely committed to working with states and other entities to make sure we’re re-identifying people in a way that helps them maintain coverage, Whether it’s Medicaid, the marketplace, or access to employer-sponsored insurance,” Chiquita Brooks- Rasul, s head Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said at a press conference yesterday.

She noted that top federal marketing and Medicaid program officials — such as alan muntz and Cai Guoqiang – An ongoing dialogue with the states to discuss the issue.

There are mixed estimates of what might happen over the next year or so. In an August report, the federal health department roughly forecast 1500 dollars When the continuous enrollment rule ends, people may lose Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage.

• approximately 2.7 million Expected to be eligible for financial aid from the ACA Health Exchange where, 1.7 million Likely to be eligible for a market plan that doesn’t have any premiums.
• about 5000000 Expect to have additional coverage, especially through employer-sponsored plans.

In 2021, the Democrats’ coronavirus relief plan boosted the tax credit for low-income shoppers and awarded it to middle-income Americans for the first time.The party avoided a major headache last year when it passed a measure extending new subsidies until 2025 Inflation Reduction Act.

Biden officials are largely attributable to roughly 13% jump Get additional financial aid with Obamacare enrollment.and Department of Health and Human Services It is believed that the enhanced tax credit will provide “a key source of alternative coverage” for some people who are no longer eligible for Medicaid.

But for such a backup plan to work, Americans who can jump on the Obamacare swap will need to understand the option.

“There’s a lot of concern that people don’t know that’s the next place to go,” says Cynthia Cox, vice president Kaiser Family Foundation. “States have a responsibility, insurance companies have a responsibility, the federal government has a responsibility to do more marketing and outreach.”

sharing these concerns is jody ray Project Director Florida covers children and families, It runs a large navigation program that helps people sign up for coverage. She said her team has been preparing for this moment for more than a year, and the increased funding from the Biden administration has helped keep her staffing levels high throughout the year, not just during ACA admissions season.

On Medicaid, states have been working on transition plans federally required, say Kate McEvoy, executive director of National Association of Medicaid Directors. State Medicaid program officials are preparing a public education campaign, working with Navigator organizations and asking enrollees to update their contact information.

• “States want to consider this as carefully as possible,” “So they want to be careful about how fast the process moves and really realize how to do it fairly,” she said.

Click today: Biden will deliver his first major economic speech of the year in Virginia, where he is expected to attack Republicans on the economic agenda, including calls from some Republican lawmakers over changes to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, a White House official said. interest.

Rogers lists House energy and commerce leadership

House of Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) has been named chairman House Energy and Business Health SubcommitteeChairman of the Plenary Panel, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.), announced yesterday.

The news came as no surprise. Guthrie was the top Republican on the previous congressional subcommittee and co-leader of the House Republican Task Force on the Future of Health. As chair of the subcommittee, Guthrie said he plans to prioritize combating the overdose epidemic, making health care more affordable and increasing the development and availability of life-saving treatments.

• “The Biden administration is on the verge of a new wave of healthcare oversight and accountability to improve healthcare institutions and prevent future crises,” Guthrie said in a statement.

Rogers also announced her pick for the House of Representatives. morgan griffith (R-Va.) Helm Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, of which he was previously a ranked member.House of Representatives Kelly Armstrong (RN.D.) will serve as Vice Chair of the Committee of the Whole.

More from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.):

FDA food safety official resigns, says agency’s crisis response was flawed

This Food and Drug AdministrationYesterday, the top food safety official resigned, citing flaws in the agency’s ability to deal with foodborne illnesses, including last year’s nationwide shortage of infant formula, our colleagues laura reilly and Jacob Berg Report.

Frank YanasThe agency’s deputy commissioner in charge of the Office of Food Policy and Response is leaving next month. The FDA is expected to announce more changes to its food safety division in the coming days.

detail: “The decentralized structure of the food program that you and I have inherited has seriously compromised FDA’s ability to operate as an integrated food team and protect the public,” Yiannas wrote in his resignation letter to the FDA commissioner. Robert Califf, which was obtained by Post. He suggested that Califf restructure the agency to include a “fully empowered and experienced” deputy food commissioner with direct oversight of the centers and offices responsible for human and animal products.

His recommendations are not far behind those of a recent independent review of the agency Reagan-Udall Foundationconcluded that the FDA’s response to infant formula shortages has faltered due to flawed leadership structures and miscommunication — of which Yiannas is a central figure.

CDC: Bivalent booster offers similar protection against latest variant

Data released yesterday CDC demonstrate the protection afforded by Pfizer-BioNTech and modernUpdated coronavirus booster shot fends off new subvariant fueling infection nationwide, Post’s finitney lapier and lena sun Report.

The study, which looked at data from coronavirus testing performed at pharmacies between Dec. 1 and Jan. 13, showed that bivalent boosters reduce the risk of symptomatic infection from the currently dominant XBB.1.5 subvariant. reduce about half For most adults, more than one third For those 65 and over.

“Bottom line: We do not see reduced vaccine protection against XBB/XBB.1.5 symptomatic disease compared to recent BAs. 5 related variants, which is reassuring,” says brandon jacksonwho leads the CDC’s coronavirus response.

Why it matters: Earlier laboratory studies raised concerns because the bivalent booster produced lower levels of antiviral antibodies against the XBB-associated subvariant than the BA.5 omicron subvariant for which it was designed. But CDC officials and experts say that doesn’t appear to be the case in the real world.

return… Additional data released by the agency yesterday showed the updated booster cut the risk of dying from covid-19 by more than double compared to those who received only the monovalent vaccine.It nearly reduces the risk of death 13 times among those who were not vaccinated.

• Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) said yesterday that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (California Republican) privately agreed not to consider cuts to Medicare and Social Security in debt ceiling talks, Forbes report.
• Ministry of Justice filed federal charges A man accused of setting fire to Planned Parenthood in Illinois was targeted yesterday. The announcement comes a day after a federal grand jury indicted two Florida residents for allegedly spray-painting threatening messages at a crisis pregnancy center in the state.
• Obstetrics and Gynecology in North Carolina is suing the state With regard to its restrictions on medical abortion, it was argued that the FDA’s federal authority to regulate mifepristone took precedence over the state’s restrictions on the drug, so the law should be declared void.
• Tennessee turned down millions of dollars HIV/AIDS Prevention from the Federal Governmentwhich critics say was sparked by the inclusion of transgender and abortion rights groups among grant recipients, the Post’s Ariana Cha Eun Jung and finitney lapier Report this morning.

Unmet needs: Critics point to health care failures for vulnerable foster children (by Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine | Kaiser Health News)

California Enacts New Abortion Law, Expects Followers (Alice Miranda Orstein | Politico)

The drug is designed to save the life of a child. Instead, they’re dying (by Rosa Furneaux and Laura Margottini | Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Statistics)

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