Payer Roundup—Maryland eyeing tax returns to market ACA enrollment

Maryland eyeing tax returns to market ACA enrollment

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill this weekend that would help people who are uninsured enroll in coverage through their tax returns. The bipartisan-supported bill will be considered in the Senate as early as this week. 

The Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Program would steer residents to either Affordable Care Act exchanges or by auto-enrolling them in Medicaid if they check a box on their tax return that says they lack insurance. The form would also include a box for residents to opt out. 

The state would collect the information from the tax forms and send it to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. If passed, Maryland would be the first state to let families use information compiled for taxes to also qualify for healthcare programs. (Washington Examiner)

Insured aging immigrants have lower risk of heart disease

Aging immigrants are more at risk for cardiovascular disease if they lack health insurance, especially among those who more recently arrived in the U.S.

According to a study by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, health insurance coverage plays an essential part in mitigating risk that often leads to older immigrants going to emergency rooms with strokes and heart attacks. 

Although younger immigrants were less likely to have cardiovascular disease than long-time immigrants, the population had higher plasma glucose levels, total cholesterol, and lower HDL cholesterol values. Plus, more than half, 54%, of recent immigrants had no health insurance, compared with 22% of long-term immigrants. (Announcement)

Dems target Trump's proposed Medicaid, Medicare cuts in new ad

The Democrat-backed group Protect Our Care has launched a new ad campaign decrying cuts to funding for Medicare and Medicaid proposed in the Trump administration's 2020 draft budget.

The ad calls President Donald Trump a hypocrite for promising on the campaign trail to protect federal healthcare programs, only to suggest massive cuts to these programs when in office. The ad also takes aim at several Republicans in Congress.

The White House disputes the ad's claims, saying that Trump's proposal isn't to slash Medicare but to "save it." (The Hill)