- New Anxieties As Trump Says Obamacare Will 'Explode' AP by Michael Warren and Sudhin Thanawala—Americans who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act are feeling some relief at the failure of Republican efforts to repeal it, but they face new anxieties with President Donald Trump tweeting that "ObamaCare will explode." Premiums have risen and major insurers have backed out of the state markets where people can buy insurance online under Obama's signature health care law. But people who say it saved their lives or helped them start a business want lawmakers to fix these problems, not encourage them.
- How Republicans Can Hobble Obamacare Even Without Repeal Reuters by Julie Steenhuysen—Republicans may have failed to overthrow Obamacare this week, but there are plenty of ways they can chip away at it. The Trump administration has already begun using its regulatory authority to water down less prominent aspects of the 2010 health care law. Earlier this week, newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price stalled the rollout of mandatory Medicare payment reform programs for heart attack treatment, bypass surgery, and joint replacements finalized by the Obama administration in December. The delays offer a glimpse at how President Donald Trump can use his administrative power to undercut aspects of the Affordable Care Act ACA, including the insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion.
- Now What? Options for Consumers as Health Law Drama Fades AP by Tom Murphy—As the political drama over health care legislation in Washington fades, the rest of the country faces a more immediate concern: Getting insurance for next year…. Now, attention will turn to administrative changes underway in Washington designed to stabilize the exchanges by preventing more insurer defections. The open enrollment period to sign up for insurance for 2018 is slated to start this fall, but insurers are making decisions now about whether to participate.