Payer Roundup—Medicare oversight positions remain unfilled; Democrats back Baldwin's anti-short-term plan bill

Medicare oversight positions unfilled for last three years  

Medicare has gone without public trustees—and thus, an important component of its oversight—for the last three years, PBS News Hour reported on Tuesday. 

The two public trustees, one Republican and one Democrat, ensure the neutrality and accuracy of annual reports about Medicare and Social Security. They are usually economists or retirement experts, and they serve in four-year terms that can be extended. 

President Obama renominated the incumbent trustees in 2016. But the Senate, which confirms nominees, failed to hold a final vote on the positions. They have been vacant since.

Experts say this reflects apathy, incompetence and a lack of integrity on the part of the federal government. As the U.S. approaches the Medicare “cliff”—and the government becomes increasingly partisan—these positions will become more important than ever. (PBS News Hour article

Senate Democrats back anti-short-term plan bill 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., announced on Tuesday that she has locked down support from all Senate Democrats for a bill that would overturn the Trump Administration’s expansion of short-term health plans (or, as some say, “junk” plans). 

The bill would need just two more votes, from Republicans, to pass in the Senate. 

“Anyone who says they support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions should support this resolution to overturn the Trump Administration’s expansion of junk insurance plans, and I hope my Republican colleagues join us to protect people’s access to quality, affordable care,” Baldwin wrote. 

Her announcement came on the same day the short-term plan expansion went into effect. 

A recent NPR article outlined the pros and cons of these plans with input from experts. In sum, while they are a low-cost option, they don’t cover many important services, including prescription drugs. (Release

Democratic gubernatorial candidates unabashedly back Medicaid expansion 

For the first time ever, Democratic candidates in red states are using their support for Medicaid expansion as a talking point.

Democrats running for governor in Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida are playing up their support for the expansion, rather than down, as we may have seen in years past. 

The expansion has proven popular in states where it’s taken place, including some conservative ones. In fact, some Republican gubernatorial candidates, like Bill Schuette in Michigan and Mike DeWine in Ohio, say they will not undo the expansion if elected. 

As one Democratic party leader noted, “Medicaid is now almost as popular as Medicare, and that’s never been true before.” (The Hill article

UnitedHealthcare expands in the Dakotas 

The nation’s largest health insurer is expanding its presence next year in North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as Minnesota.

The move has the potential to lower prices by increasing competition. Consider that 91% of North Dakota’s small group market is currently commanded by one insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND). BCBSND also covers 84% of the individual market and 51% of the large group market in North Dakota.

UnitedHealthcare Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota CEO Philip Kaufman said the region’s "very attractive, very growing" economy drew the insurer to expand there. Large, multi-national employers asked UnitedHealthcare to provide coverage there, he added. 

After expanding its small-group offerings in those states, UnitedHealthcare will likely move on to Medicare and Medicaid plans, Kaufman said. (Duluth News Tribune article)