- Bare-Bones Health Policies Are Cheaper Than ACA Plans — and Riskier Too Wall Street Journal by Anna Wilde Mathews — Sales are growing for a type of bare-bones health policy that offers a cheaper alternative to traditional insurance but leaves buyers risking big bills if they have major medical needs. Known as fixed indemnity plans, the products offer limited help, typically paying set amounts toward the cost of doctor visits, hospital days, or other services. They generally carry restrictions on people with preexisting conditions, and they aren't considered true health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. But insurance agents say individuals are increasingly purchasing the plans as a substitute for ACA coverage, which has become far more costly for many people who don't get federal subsidies.
- GOP in Retreat on Obamacare The Hill by Peter Sullivan — Republicans are retreating from calls to repeal Obamacare ahead of this year's midterm elections. Less than a year after the GOP gave up on its legislative effort to repeal the law, Democrats are going on the offense on this issue, attacking Republicans for their votes as they hope to retake the House majority. GOP strategist Ford O'Connell said the political winds have shifted on the issue, turning Obamacare into a subject Democrats want to tout and many Republicans want to duck. "I don't think it's seen as a winning issue," he said. "It's also an issue that tends to fire up the Democratic base more so than the Republican base." Republican supporters of repeal argue the House is paying for the Senate GOP's sins.