Feds Step Up Efforts To Raise Awareness About Health Law Tax Breaks
The Treasury Department on Friday released fact sheets about the most common exemptions to the health law's tax penalty. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports on how the Affordable Care Act is leading some colleges to get out of the health insurance business.
The Hill:
Feds Push To Inform Public About ObamaCare Tax Breaks
The federal government is taking extra steps to help the millions of people who qualify for ObamaCare tax breaks this year but may not know it. The Treasury Department released fact sheets Friday about five of the most common types of exemptions related to a person’s income level, job status, Medicaid eligibility and other scenarios. (Ferris, 3/27)
The Associated Press:
Colleges Getting Out Of Health Insurance Business
The federal health care overhaul is leading some colleges and universities to get out of the health insurance business. Experts are divided on whether this change will be good or bad for students. Some call it an inevitable result of health care reform and a money-saver for students since insurance in the marketplace is usually cheaper than the college plans. Others worry that more students will go without health insurance since their premiums won’t be folded into the lump sum they pay for school, and they say college health plans offer more coverage for the money than other options. (Blankinship, 3/28)
Some news outlets also report on how the congressional repeal debate continues and how some consumers worry about what the high court will decide on state-run exchange subsidies -
NBC News:
With 16 Million In Obamacare, Is The Repeal Debate Over?
With the Obama administration announcing this month that some 16 million people have obtained health insurance since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Republicans' intense focus on completely repealing the law is increasingly looking unrealistic. (Bacon Jr., 3/27)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Now Insured, But Worried Over Pending Supreme Court Obamacare Ruling
Until she noticed the tiny blood spots on her sheets, Peg Fagan thought the itchy, raised area on her shoulder was a spider bite. So when her doctor asked during a routine checkup in April whether Fagan had any health concerns, she mentioned the bite. Fagan had melanoma, the most serious kind of skin cancer. The diagnosis was emotionally crushing. But if she had received it a month earlier, before the Independence Blue Cross silver tier Proactive plan she bought through healthcare.gov kicked in, it also would have been financially devastating. (Calandra, 3/29)