Feb 7, 2017

Older Americans might pay more for health care under Trump

Shannon Vavra

UCI UC Irvine via Flickr CC

Politico has two drafts of Trump Administration HHS proposals that outline intentions to:

  1. Charge older Americans 3.49 times more since their care tends to cost more
  2. Cut the 2018 enrollment period in half to November 1 to December 15 in 2017 instead of letting it run through the end of January 2018
  3. End special enrollment periods which insurers said let people get sick before getting coverage
  4. Increase out-of-pocket expenses by giving insurers more flexibility in the percent of cost they must cover

Quick take: The idea here is to appease insurers' concerns and keep them in the marketplace while Trump's team builds up a real replacement plan for the ACA. If enacted it would mark an adjustment to the healthcare marketplace that healthcare experts had asked the Obama Administration to initiate.

Why this matters: Although Trump said he would immediately get a replacement plan out, it is proving difficult to maintain those promises. In the meantime, healthcare insurers have to get their 2018 plans on the table by April of this year for state regulators to review. Many are feeling the pressure already; a few national insurers told investors last week they may need to leave the marketplace.

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Ben Geman

Renewable energy industry eyes next coronavirus stimulus bill

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The renewable energy sector is pressing for the "phase 4" coronavirus response bill to provide the aid that was omitted from the recent $2 trillion rescue package — and they might have a wider opening this time around.

Why it matters: Wind and solar developers are warning of project cancelations and layoffs as activity is frozen, supply chains are disrupted, and companies risk missing deadlines to use tax credits.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 874,081 — Total deaths: 43,291 — Total recoveries: 185,194.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 189,633 — Total deaths: 4,081 — Total recoveries: 7,136.
  3. Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: It's "a tale of two Americas" — as the rich are more likely to work from home and the poor are more likely to report to work.
  4. Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
  5. Coronavirus in custody: Inmates in all federal prisons are set to enter a 14-day quarantine on April 1.
  6. 2020 updates: Joe Biden said it's "hard to envision" the Democratic National Convention going ahead as planned in July.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

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Americans feel better about their finances after coronavirus stimulus

Data: Axios/Ipsos survey, margin of error ranges from ±5 to ±9 percentage points; Chart: Naema Ahmed/Axios

Americans have become more optimistic about the state of their finances in the last week, a new survey from Axios and Ipsos shows.

The state of play: While some remain worried, particularly those at the lower end of the economic spectrum, the data shows people are more confident about the security of their jobs and ability to take care of expenses after the passage of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act.

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