Nearly half of college students say they'll "definitely" vote this year, according to a survey by College Reaction, a group that measures public opinion among college students.
Why it matters: If true, that kind of turnout could help Democrats, since Republican students are more lukewarm about whether they'll vote. But in reality, young voters aren't exactly known for rushing to the polls in midterm elections. It would take a sharp break with recent history for that to become a reality.
By the numbers:
Go deeper:
Turnout surges among young voters in battleground states' primaries
“Affordable Care Act premiums are going down” is a headline no one's ever seen before, so it’s no surprise the Trump administration is trying to take credit for the change.
Driving the news: The administration announced yesterday that premiums for a "benchmark" plan will drop by an average of 1.5% next year in the federally run ACA marketplaces — the first time that’s happened since it launched.
What they're saying: Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said premiums are lower because the Trump administration has approved several state reinsurance programs — and opened the door to cheaper options like short-term plans and association health plans.
Reality check: Reinsurance has almost certainly held premiums down. But short-term plans, like the nullification of the individual mandate, aren't contributing to lower ACA premiums. State regulators have said their premiums would be lower without those policy changes.
Turns out the individual insurance market actually isn’t imploding, even as the Trump administration and Congress keep taking whacks at the Affordable Care Act.
What's new: A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of individual market performance found that insurers have become profitable again in 2017 and the first half of 2018.
Between the lines: Premiums went up a lot between 2017 and 2018 (an average of 23% per member for the second quarter of each year).
What to watch: There are signs that the ACA population may be getting sicker — they spent more days in the hospitals than in the past 3 years. If so, that could be a sign that healthier customers are dropping out.
