The Alexander-Murray Market Stabilization Package: What ’s In It And Where’s It Going?

They may have done it. The apocryphal bipartisan deal to “fix” Obamacare is being struck (at least by two important Senators, for now, in part …). Today, Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Patty Murray of Washington announced they are converging on an agreement on a short-term package to help stabilize the individual insurance market. Even better, the policies included would likely be somewhat successful in achieving their purported purpose. This post will explore each of them in some detail and consider the impact they may have, as well as the probability Congress will send the legislation to President Trump, who has said he would sign it. The post is based on information about the bill now available, and will likely need to be updated once we see the final language. Funding For Cost-Sharing Subsidies The key component to the deal is stable funding for the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidies that President Trump last week said he would no longer pay. These subsidies lower out-of-pocket costs for individuals enrolled in the Affordable Care Act exchanges with incomes between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level. The legality of the Obama (and then Trump) Administration’s making these payments has been the subject of a legal dispute over whether Congress has actually appropriated the money to fund the requirements of the underlying ACA provisions. Complicating matters further, 19 state attorneys general just filed a lawsuit seeking to compel contin...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Featured Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage 1332 waivers copper plans cost-sharing reduction payments interstate insurance reinsurance Source Type: blogs