- Senate Health Panel Aims for Deal on Stabilizing Markets Early Next Week The Hill by Rachel Roubein — The Senate's health panel intends to craft a bipartisan bill to stabilize the insurance markets by early next week, enabling the full Senate to pass it by the end of the month, according to Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). Alexander laid out the goal Thursday during the Health Committee's fourth hearing on stabilizing the markets ahead of a Sept. 27 deadline for insurers to sign contracts to sell plans on HealthCare.gov, with open enrollment beginning Nov. 1. Last week, Alexander said he'd hoped for a deal by the end of this week.
- Bipartisan Effort to Stabilize Insurance Market Hits Snag Over State Flexibility Modern Healthcare by Harris Meyer — Disagreement over how much flexibility to give states to redesign the ACA's coverage requirements under state innovation waivers could doom prospects for passage of a stabilization package before the Sept. 27 deadline for insurers to decide whether to offer individual-market plans in 2018 and what their premiums will be. Without certainty about cost-sharing reduction payments, insurers are expected to raise rates in some areas by more than 20 percent, or stop offering coverage on the exchanges entirely.