News

Twelve states have refused to expand Medicaid, leaving millions of poor Americans without health coverage and Democrats divided over how to respond.The New York Times, Read More.

After the latest Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare secured its survival, some of the law’s staunchest supporters have a clear message on what President Joe Biden should do next: Fix it.The Affordable Care Act, after more than a decade of political turmoil, has never loomed larger. The law provided a new safety net during the coronavirus pandemic, mostly through its expansion of Medicaid. The Biden administration has boosted federal aid to purchase Obamacare coverage, which could help bring in millions of new customers. Politico, Read More.

The Biden administration is quietly engineering a series of expansions to Medicaid that may bolster protections for millions of low-income Americans and bring more people into the program. Biden’s efforts — which have been largely overshadowed by other economic and health initiatives — represent an abrupt reversal of the Trump administration’s moves to scale back the safety-net program.KHN, Read More.

An HHS proposed rule released Monday would do away with a Trump-era policy allowing states to bypass HealthCare.gov when seeking enrollees for Obamacare plans. The Department of Health and Human Services is also proposing to extend the annual regular open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act plans by an additional month, from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15 as compared with the current end date of Dec. 15.Bloomberg Law, Read More.

While hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccine has impacted Mississippians for months, state health officials said Wednesday afternoon they worry complacency may also be behind the lagging rate.”We have an exit door and too many of us are choosing to not use that door,” State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said during the virtual press conference. As of Wednesday, 30% of Mississippians were fully vaccinated against the virus.The Clarion Ledger, Read More.