美国国家公共电台 NPR Shorter Enrollment Period For Obamacare Proposed By Administration

 

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

After weeks of talking about repealing¹ and replacing the Affordable² Care Act or Obamacare, the Trump³ administration made a move today. The Department of Health and Human Services proposed tightening⁵ rules on how and when people can buy coverage⁶. That's so insurance companies will stay in the market during the transition to a new system. NPR's Alison Kojak reports the changes could mean fewer people get coverage.

ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE⁷: The proposed changes are aimed at making the individual health care market less vulnerable to manipulation by consumers. Insurance companies have complained that people sign up only when they're sick and drop coverage after getting care. Just yesterday, insurance giant Humana announced it was dropping out of the ACA exchanges altogether next year because not enough healthy people are buying insurance. And this morning, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini told an audience at a conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal that the health insurance market under Obamacare is failing.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARK BERTOLINI: And in the first look at this quarter, it's not going to get any better. It's getting worse.

KODJAK: His company lost millions last year on its Obamacare business. The changes proposed by HHS to shore up the exchanges include cutting the annual open enrollment⁹ period to about six weeks instead of three months. They'd also require people who want to sign up for coverage during so-called special enrollment periods to first prove they qualify because of a life change like losing a job or getting divorced. But those changes may not have the desired effect says Sabrina Corlett, a research professor at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

SABRINA CORLETTE: The overall effect of many of the policies in here would actually, over time, I think, shrink enrollment, not grow enrollment.

KODJAK: That's because making it harder to enroll⁸ and adding more paperwork will just turn off more people.

CORLETTE: You're healthy people are the ones who are going to be more likely to say this is too much of a pain in the neck. I'm not going to go through with this.

KODJAK: But Caroline Pearson, a senior vice⁴ president at Avalere Health, says some change is needed.

CAROLINE PEARSON: The special enrollment period is a real problem in the market.

KODJAK: Her research shows that people who buy insurance during special enrollment period spend a disproportionate amount of money on health care. The HHS proposal makes other changes to help insurers, too. It allows them to increase deductibles and co-payments, and it says insurance companies can demand consumers pay off any missed premiums¹⁰ before they get a new policy.

PEARSON: In total, I think that the rule is helpful for insurers but probably not enough to change any given health plan's mind about how to approach the exchange markets.

KODJAK: So Humana is unlikely to rethink its decision because of these changes. While HHS is working to stabilize¹¹ Obamacare as Congress debates its fate, the IRS is relaxing its plans to enforce the ACA tax penalty. The agency says it's responding to President Trump's executive order directing it to ease the burden of the health care law. Pearson says that could lead healthy people to drop their health plans.

PEARSON: In total, I actually think that the exchange market is going to shrink in size dramatically as a result of both the rule and the IRS move.

KODJAK: Alison Kojak, NPR News, Washington.

1 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

6 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

9 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

10 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。