Charles Gaba1d ago

🎉🎉🎉 WOOT! #MICHIGAN state Senate passes bill to establish state-based #ACA exchange in time for 2028 Open Enrollment Period!

(it still has to make it through the state House, however)

https://acasignups.net/26/06/19/michigan-state-based-exchange-passes-mi-senate-again-makes-it-one-step-closer-becoming

Michigan: State-based exchange passes MI Senate (again), makes it one step closer to becoming reality

Long-time readers know that I've long been an advocate of more states breaking off of the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov) and establishing their own versions instead. While there are certainly benefits to utilizing the federal exchange (standardized interface, user experience, branding & marketing), there are also numerous benefits to states operating their own platforms. In the early days of the ACA, in addition to the infamous technical meltdown of HealthCare.Gov, many of the state-based exchanges (SBEs) of the time included horror stories in which the 1.0 versions of SBEs either failed miserably, cost an insane amount and/or both. The most famous examples include... Massachusetts: Ironically, the state which had been operating their own health insurance exchange portal and whose healthcare reform law was largely the blueprint for the Affordable Care Act had a nightmare experience overhauling that same website for the new federal regulatory framework. This was laid out in explicit detail by a guy named Ed Lyons, who wrote the definitive MA "Health Connector Autopsy" back in 2014.

ACA Signups
Charles Gaba ✡️1d ago
🎉🎉🎉 WOOT! #MICHIGAN state Senate passes bill to establish state-based #ACA exchange in time for 2028 Open Enrollment Period! (it still has to make it through the state House, however) acasignups.net/26/06/19/mic...

Michigan: State-based exchange...
Michigan: State-based exchange passes MI Senate (again), makes it one step closer to becoming reality

Long-time readers know that I've long been an advocate of more states breaking off of the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov) and establishing their own versions instead. While there are certainly benefits to utilizing the federal exchange (standardized interface, user experience, branding & marketing), there are also numerous benefits to states operating their own platforms. In the early days of the ACA, in addition to the infamous technical meltdown of HealthCare.Gov, many of the state-based exchanges (SBEs) of the time included horror stories in which the 1.0 versions of SBEs either failed miserably, cost an insane amount and/or both. The most famous examples include... Massachusetts: Ironically, the state which had been operating their own health insurance exchange portal and whose healthcare reform law was largely the blueprint for the Affordable Care Act had a nightmare experience overhauling that same website for the new federal regulatory framework. This was laid out in explicit detail by a guy named Ed Lyons, who wrote the definitive MA "Health Connector Autopsy" back in 2014.

ACA Signups
Bich Nguyen2d ago

"...according to new data from the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index, which shows only about half of U.S. adults could afford their healthcare and had access to quality care last year. Concerns about affording healthcare in the year ahead were at a record high since tracking began in 2021, signaling that many were feeling anxious about rising healthcare costs as 2025 ended."

https://apnews.com/article/healthcare-insurance-health-care-costs-poll-aca-7be286003eb3c0f4fdab515eb9de47ef

#healthcare #insurance #ACA #obamacare #RuralHealth #affordability #CostsOfCare

Poll: Only about half of Americans say they can afford quality healthcare

New data from the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index shows that only about half of U.S. adults could afford their healthcare and had access to quality care last year. Concerns about affording healthcare in the year ahead were also at a record high since tracking began in 2021. The survey, conducted from October to December 2025, shows that inflation and rising healthcare costs were straining Americans, even before healthcare cuts took effect this year. Many are worried they won’t be able to pay for care. The findings reveal a decline in healthcare affordability across various demographics, including among younger adults, older adults and women.

AP News
Bich Nguyen3d ago

"Some lawmakers and advocates are hoping to change that. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, and Ashley Hinson, an Iowa Republican, introduced legislation last month that would establish a three-year pilot program to help cover the cost of formula or donor milk for people whose medical history prevents them from breastfeeding..."

https://19thnews.org/2026/06/breastfeeding-formula-cancer-survivors-insurance-coverage/

#PublicHealth #breastfeeding #breastmilk #ACA #insurance #obamacare

Show threadCharles Gaba ✡️3d ago
No other state relies more on #ACA federal tax credits than MISSISSIPPI: Last year *98%* of enrollees received the enhanced subsidies to make their health insurance premiums affordable.

Result of those subsidies being dramatically slashed this year? Nearly 25,000 couldn't even afford to sign up...
Bich Nguyen4d ago

"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to soon release complete data on how many people are no longer covered under the ACA, but an early analysis from KFF, citing Wakely Consulting Group research, showed enrollment could drop from over 22 million at the end of 2025 to as low as 16.5 million in 2026."

https://kffhealthnews.org/insurance/uninsured-obamacare-affordable-care-act-aca-canceled-coverage-north-carolina/

#healthcare #ACA #obamacare #insurance #CostsOfCare #USpol

They’re Uninsured After Obamacare Became Too Costly. And They’re Far From Alone. - KFF Health News

After congressional Republicans let expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans expire at the end of last year, some families have decided the price is too great of a financial burden and canceled their coverage.

KFF Health News
News5d ago

They're uninsured after Obamacare became too costly. And they're far from alone.

After congressional Republicans let expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans expire at the end of last year, some families have decided the price is too great of a financial burden and canceled their coverage.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uninsured-obamacare-aca-price-healthcare-costs/

#TopNews #News #ACA #Ross #NorthCarolina

Show threadMaggie Maybe6d ago

@violetmadder @Gustodon @tafnn I know he wasn’t perfect but the ACA is the only reason I’m still alive today.

Back in 2008 I couldn’t buy heath insurance even if I was willing to pay $2000 a month. I was denied by everyone because I had back pain within the past 10 years. My doctor wrote a letter confirming it had been resolved for years yet I was still denied everywhere, even with Kaiser Permanente, the worst health insurance I ever had.

I had a good job at a small law office and I was going to have to quit just so I could get healthcare.

And without the ACA this dumb state wouldn’t have expanded Medicaid & I never would have survived the 3+ years it took to get approved for disability.

I had friends in high school who had babies before they turned 18 just so they could get Medicaid because they knew they wouldn’t be able to work full-time, they were going to fall off their parents health insurance, and they had health issues they needed treatments for. So they had babies they didn’t even want just so they could survive.

We really need Medicare for all, but the ACA was better than the previous system.

#ACA #m4a

Bich NguyenJun 13

"Why not borrow the money from your health insurance company?

In the dense 1,121-page final rule issued last month about how the Affordable Care Act market will operate next year, the [Trump] administration suggested that insurers consider offering loans to cash-strapped customers."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/business/aca-health-care-costs-medical-debt.html

#healthcare #ACA #obamacare #insurance #USpol

Can’t Pay Medical Bills? Trump Administration Suggests Getting a Loan

One-third of Americans shoulder health care debt. Insurers are being asked to consider lending money to Obamacare consumers who can’t afford higher deductibles.

The New York Times
Bruce MirkenJun 12
“Have #HealthInsurance through the #ACA? The Trump administration is going to turn your health insurer into a loan shark you borrow money from if you can’t afford to pay your portion of medical procedures.” A truly dystopian idea floated by the #TrumpAdministration. https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-republican-aca-plan
Under Healthcare 'Dystopia' Envisioned by Trump, Cash-Strapped Patients Would Take Out Loans From Insurers | Common Dreams

The Trump administration's proposal to have Americans take out loans from health insurance companies for medical bills is a cruel and dystopian solution. Are we okay with turning insurers into loan sharks? This move highlights the urgent need for a universal healthcare system like Medicare for All. #MedicareForAll

Common Dreams