Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Poll: Health Care Should Be Trump's Top Priority During First 100 Days
Healthcare is the top issue Americans want Donald Trump to address during his first 100 days in the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, an apparent rebuke of outgoing President Barack Obama's signature reform, Obamacare. Some 21 percent of Americans want Trump to focus on the healthcare system when he enters the White House on Jan. 20, according to the Nov. 9-14 poll, conducted in the week after the Republican won the U.S. presidential election. (Khan, 11/17)
While it's聽pretty much a given that the Affordable Care Act won't survive a聽Trump presidency and Republican Congress in its current form, there are sweeping implications of reversing聽a law聽that has reached in so many ways聽into our health care system. The government has never undone a major benefits program after it has taken effect 鈥� and neither the incoming administration nor GOP lawmakers know exactly how they'll replace it. (Cha and Goldstein, 11/17)
And in other health law news聽鈥�
Just as聽open enrollment for Obamacare in 2017聽wraps up in January, a newly elected president and Congress will try to聽unravel the insurance program. So should you聽bother signing聽up at all?聽And if you like your coverage聽at the start of 2017, will you be able to keep it through 2017?聽Yes and聽probably yes, say聽healthcare聽authorities. (Koff, 11/17)
Despite double-digit rate hikes taking effect Jan. 1, customers of Connecticut鈥檚 health insurance exchange who already picked plans for 2017 and qualify for subsidized coverage will, on average, save a few bucks on their monthly premiums,聽according to figures released Thursday by Access Health CT, the exchange. (Levin Becker, 11/17)
Last week鈥檚 election results stunned a lot of people who get health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act. President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress say they want to scrap the law, but what might replace it remains unknown. That has left some Missouri and Kansas families in limbo, unsure what will become of their medical care. (Smith, 11/17)