The deficit would drop by $119 billion over the next decade, according to the revised
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate for the House American Health Care Act. The savings come from cuts to Medicaid and repeal of the ACA’s tax credits. CBO projects about a third of the population lives in states that would take up the bill’s waiver option, allowing states to create their own regulations on minimum health benefits and community ratings. CBO also projects the AHCA will cause instability between 2020 and 2026 as markets adjust to the new waiver landscape. (
Health Affairs
blog;
CBO report;
Daily Signal)
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Older, sicker people would have to pay more for health care in the individual market, or be unable to get new coverage for pre-existing conditions if they let coverage lapse, according to the CBO report released May 24. Overall, premiums are estimated to be slightly lower because of changes to essential health benefits requirements in states that choose to waive them, but individuals who live in those states will pay more out of pocket for benefits like maternity care and substance abuse treatment. (
Kaiser Health News
)
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A
Wall Street Journal opinion piece demonstrates that CBO has consistently missed the mark on ACA coverage estimates in the past, sometimes by as much as 57 percent. Largely unreported, research from HHS released the same day as the CBO estimate shows average premiums on federal ACA marketplace exchanges rose 105 percent--$3,000 more a year per family—since 2013. Most of the 14 million fewer people CBO estimated would lose coverage last week would still receive tax credits to buy coverage under the new bill, but CBO says they would opt out of coverage without the individual coverage mandate. (
CBO coverage error chart
;
Wall Street Journal
; subscription required)
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Innovation & Transformation
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Partners HealthCare and GE Healthcare announced a 10-year partnership to use artificial intelligence in every stage of patient care. "By leveraging AI across every patient interaction, workflow challenge and administrative need, this collaboration will drive improvements in quality, cost and access," says John Flannery, GE Healthcare CEO. The project will start with innovations to improve diagnostic imaging to assess the impact of stroke or spinal injury and streamline clinician workflow. (
MassLive.com)
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Two polls show access to affordable health care is the top concern among Americans. The April Consumer Reports survey and a recent Gallup poll both cited health care as the nation’s biggest problem. Three out of four Consumer Reports respondents said the government should help ensure all people have access to affordable, quality health care. (Becker’s Hospital Review; Consumer Voices Survey)
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FDA user fees for new medical device approval would be tripled under President Trump’s new budget plan, but analysts say the increase is not likely to make it into the FDA Reauthorization Act currently winding its way through Congress. While some attorneys say the fee increase would deter small digital companies from pursuing design and development of new products, others say the user fees are not usually an issue. (
FierceHealthcare)
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New app for your eyes:
Mobile phone users in California, Florida, New York and Virginia can now do a self-check of their eyesight prescription with a new app from Warby Parker. Still in the testing stage, the exam takes 20 minutes. But, the
eyewear company cautions, it's not intended to take the place of a regular checkup. (
TechCrunch)
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Intermountain goes live on telehealth marketplace:
Intermountain expanded its telehealth presence beyond its Connect Care network this week by going live on the American Well online marketplace. The Utah-based provider’s nurse practitioners and physician assistants are available for telehealth visits for patients living in Utah and, soon, in Idaho, according to the
announcement. (
HealthcareDIVE)
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Under the proposed AHCA, where you live and how your state chooses to fund Medicaid will make a big difference in how much health care coverage costs. So will your age and income: If you're older, earn more and live in a Medicaid expansion state, you'll pay less, but lower-income individuals pay more. This interactive map offers a comparison. (
KFF.org)
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MarketVoices...quotes worth reading
“CBO continues to find that through our patient-focused bill, premiums will go down and that our reforms will help stabilize the market." -- Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) statement quoted in Kaiser Health News
"TrumpCare will kick millions of Americans off their insurance coverage and force consumers to pay more for less." -- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in
Kaiser Health News
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H2R Minutes
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