Anthem Withdraws from California's Individual Health Markets

Anthem has announced that they are pulling out of the individual market in 16 of the 19 health insurance regions in California, including all of Southern California. Notices were sent to policyholders informing them that if they get their coverage through Covered CA or even individual policies directly from Anthem without subsidies, their policies will not be renewed on January 1, 2018. This action will impact approximately 250,000 Californians who must switch to new insurers. The instability in the Covered CA marketplace is due to the political attacks on the ACA according to Gerald Kominski of the UCLA Health Policy Center, and other policy experts.  Click here to read LA Times article.

On the same day, Anthem announced its quarterly earnings, beating expectations by nearly 10%. Their stock price is up over 30% since January on the strength of their government business and small business plans. Click here for SF Gate article.

Senate Republicans Meet Late into the Night; No Breakthrough, but Some Optimism

President Trump is still insisting that the Senate Republican get an ACA repeal bill to him as soon as possible. McConnell is still planning to have a vote on such a bill next week. Senate Republicans are expressing optimism publicly, but are privately skeptical. The latest wrinkle is that Senator McCain has a brain tumor and there is no set date for his return to the Senate. Bipartisanship is not an option according to Republican party leadership. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are unsure what access they will have to health coverage and at what cost. The exchanges are set to go live with the 2018 policies and pricing in less than 3 months. Read the Politico article here.

Al Gore Calls for Single Payer Healthcare

Former Vice-President Al Gore has added his voice to the chorus calling for single payer. He told a packed audience at a screening of his new documentary that the private sector has been unable to provide "good, affordable healthcare for all." Citing the failure of the Republicans' repeal and replace efforts, he has "reluctantly" come to the conclusion that it is time for a national single payer plan. Read the article here.

Even Health Insurers Oppose the Cruz Amendment

In an unusual move, health insurers have weighed in on the current Senate repeal and replace bill. They state that the Cruz Amendment, which would allow states to waive the 10 essential benefits coverage required under the ACA, would encourage healthy people to buy cheap policies and result in exorbitant premiums for people who would need the more comprehensive coverage. Without the individual mandate or the more comprehensive (and expensive policies), insurance companies would have less money to cover the expenses of the sickest patients.

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