"We're very concerned that some plans in the ACA market may drop out because this will draw low-risk people out of the marketplace and increase unfair competition from plans that aren't subject to the same rules." -- Margaret Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans

America's uninsured rate held essentially steady from 2016 to 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures published on Wednesday, the first year this decade that the nation did not make progress in reducing the ranks of those without health insurance. The finding suggests America's recent success in lowering its uninsured population has plateaued, with potential implications for policymaking and the fate of the U.S. health care system. (Jeff Stein, Washington Post)

Maryland’s attorney general on Thursday filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration for recurring efforts he says are intended to dismantle the national health care law and prevent people from obtaining coverage. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Maryland comes as the latest push to scrap the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has pressed ahead in Texas. Democrat Brian Frosh is seeking a declaratory judgment in U.S. District Court of Maryland that the ACA is indeed constitutional and that the Trump administration must stop trying to "sabotage" it. (David Mcfadden, Associated Press)

The Trump administration is making it easier for individuals to opt out of Obamacare's individual mandate. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says it is streamlining the way taxpayers can claim "hardship exemptions" from the mandate, which requires everyone have health insurance or pay a fine. Under new guidance announced Wednesday, the agency will allow individuals to claim hardship exemptions on their tax returns without providing any documentation or written explanation. Individuals would merely have to note the exemption on their tax returns, according to CMS, though the agency advised taxpayers to hold on to any documentation in case of any follow-ups. (Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill)

Seven health care industry and advocacy groups sued the Trump administration Friday to block a new rule expanding the availability of short-term health plans that don't comply with ACA consumer protection rules for the individual market. The Association for Community Affiliated Plans, the American Psychiatric Association. and several other groups alleged that the rule flies in the face of the intent of the ACA to make low-cost comprehensive insurance available to Americans and it cannot move forward. (Harris Meyer, Modern Healthcare) 

Nebraska's highest court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that would have stripped a Medicaid expansion proposal off the November ballot, clearing the way for voters to decide a measure that has been repeatedly rejected by the Republican-dominated Legislature. The Nebraska Supreme Court's rejection of a GOP-led lawsuit was a victory for advocates who say the measure would help an estimated 90,000 low-income residents get covered under the Affordable Care Act. (Grant Schulte, Associated Press)

The Trump administration early this year started allowing states to require that their Medicaid beneficiaries work and, to date, 11 states have applied for waivers to set such work rules. Medicaid work requirements could promote "better mental, physical and emotional health" and "help individuals and families rise out of poverty and attain independence," Brian Neale, a top Medicaid official for the administration who has since left his post, wrote in a letter to state directors of the health program. But two new studies published today in JAMA Internal Medicine question the effectiveness of and rationale for such work requirements, finding that the vast majority of Medicaid recipients already work or would be exempt for reasons such as pregnancy or disability. Because only a small number of beneficiaries would be affected, budgetary savings through any reduction in the rolls would be minimal. (Nicky Mehtani, ABC News)

Members of a federal advisory panel expressed alarm this week that 4,350 low-income people in Arkansas had lost Medicaid coverage because they failed to show they were complying with new work requirements held up by the Trump administration as a model for the nation. "I hope these data scare the pants off people in Arkansas," said Dr. Christopher Gorton, a member of the panel, called the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. The chairwoman of the panel, Penny Thompson, said the data—the first for any state enforcing a work requirement—were "very concerning" and "very worrisome." (Robert Pear, New York Times)

Michigan is asking the Trump administration to approve work requirements for thousands of low-income adults who gained health care under Obamacare's Medicaid expansion. Under the proposal, beneficiaries between the ages of 19 to 62 will have to work, volunteer or attend job training for at least 80 hours a month to keep their benefits. There are 12 exemptions, including for those who are caretakers of family members younger than six and those who are pregnant. (Jessie Hellmann, The Hill)

Republican Gov. Paul LePage said he'll continue denying applications under a voter-approved Medicaid expansion until lawmakers provide funding under his terms. Pro-Medicaid expansion advocates who are suing to force Maine to roll-out voter-approved Medicaid expansion have encouraged Mainers to apply for Medicaid expansion this summer. But LePage said the plan is to deny those applications "until they're funded." Nearly three out of five Maine voters last November supported expanding Medicaid to provide health care coverage to an additional 70,000 to 80,000 low-income residents starting July 2. (Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press)