May 18, 2017 - Health

The chaos & collapsing of the ACA

Susan Walsh / AP

There's growing frustration in the health insurance industry with the way the Trump administration is managing the Affordable Care Act, senior insurance officials described to the LA Times. Here's what they found out:

  • Some insurance companies are planning dramatic premium hikes for Obamacare or exiting the Obamacare marketplaces.
  • State insurance regulators are realizing they can't depend on the Trump administration to do what's needed to run a stable market, like paying for subsidies or enforcing the individual mandate.

Why it matters: Obamacare IS collapsing, but it's not collapsing on it's own as Trump claimed it would. It's collapsing because of Trump. Blue Shield of California CEO Paul Markovich told LA Times, "All this uncertainty is not helpful."

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 12,520,431 — Total deaths: 560,830 — Total recoveries — 6,900,718 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 3,184,722 — Total deaths: 134,830 — Total recoveries: 983,185 — Total tested: 38,856,341 — Map.
  3. Public health: The reality of the coronavirus bites.
  4. Trade: Trump says he's no longer considering phase-two trade deal with China because the pandemic damaged the two countries' relationship.
  5. 🎧 Podcast: Rural America has its own coronavirus problem.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Sam Baker
2 hours ago - Health

We're losing the war on the coronavirus

Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

By any standard, no matter how you look at it, the U.S. is losing its war against the coronavirus.

Why it matters: The pandemic is not an abstraction, and it is not something that’s simmering in the background. It is an ongoing emergency ravaging nearly the entire country, with a loss of life equivalent to a Sept. 11 every three days — for four months and counting.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Jacob Knutson
13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump commutes Roger Stone's sentence

Roger Stone arriving at his sentencing hearing on Feb. 20. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump on Friday evening commuted the sentence of his longtime associate Roger Stone, according to two senior administration officials. Stone in February was sentenced to 40 months in prison for crimes including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress.

Why it matters: The controversial move brings an abrupt end to the possibility of Stone spending time behind bars. He had been scheduled to report to prison on July 14.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow