State Update
HHS Deadline for State Partnership Designation Approaching
This Friday is the deadline for states that will not be running their own health insurance exchange to tell the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) whether they want to run a "partnership" exchange in cooperation with the federal government. Several states have indicated they may want to run a partnership exchange, but to date only Arkansas and Delaware have been given conditional approval by HHS to operate one. Florida, Mississippi, and New Hampshire reportedly may decide to move forward with partnership exchanges.
In Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, and New Mexico, patient advocates and state officials are working furiously to pass legislation that will enable them to join the 18 states and District of Columbia that have been given conditional approval by HHS to run their own exchange. ACS CAN is a major contributor in efforts to establish an exchange in those states.
This Thursday, state officials from Arizona (federally run exchange), Delaware (partnership exchange) and Rhode Island (state-run exchange) will appear before the Senate Finance Committee to provide testimony regarding exchange readiness and coordination with federal agencies.
Fewer Young Adults Lack Health Insurance
According to a recent Gallup poll, 22.7 percent of Americans aged 18 to 25 reported having no health insurance in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from 24.5 percent in the first quarter and the lowest since Gallup and Healthways started tracking coverage rates in January 2008. Uninsured rates for older age groups, however, held fairly steady last year. The percentage of uninsured young adults has steadily declined since late 2010, when the health law provision allowing Americans to stay on their parents' plans up to age 26 went into effect.
No other demographic or socioeconomic group appears to be experiencing significant changes yet. Individuals aged 26 to 64 remain more likely to be uninsured than in 2008 and 2009, which is likely due to increased unemployment and benefit reductions for the employed. For all of 2012, Hispanics remained the group most likely to be uninsured among major subgroups at 40.1 percent. Low-income Americans are the second-most likely to lack coverage, at 30.7 percent. However, it is likely uninsured rates across all groups will begin to change when the individual mandate and health insurance exchanges go into full effect in 2014. ACS CAN supports provisions in the Affordable Care Act that will provide all groups with greater access to quality care.
As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families.
Chris Hansen | President
ACS Cancer Action Network | American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc.