Trending News Today: Ohio Works to Fill Gaps in Insurer Offerings in ACA Exchange

Senate Republican leaders have said that it might be time to stop trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), despite pressure from the White House to continue the push until a healthcare reform bill can garner enough votes for approval, according to The New York Times. At least for now, GOP leaders are uncertain how to obtain 50 votes to pass healthcare reform legislation. Last week’s failed attempt to pass the healthcare bill was met with criticism from President Donald Trump and budget chief Mick Mulvaney, a former Republican House representative.

Yesterday, Ohio announced that 5 insurers have decided to sell plans in 19 counties that would have been without coverage. The state’s Department of Insurance stated that it had worked to fill the gaps in 20 counties, which would have left thousands without options for a health plan in 2018, according to The New York Times. Many counties have faced similar hardships due to insurer uncertainty of the marketplace and loss of profit. To account for the losses, Anthem Inc decided to withdraw from many state marketplaces, according to the article.

The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis recently urged President Trump to declare a national emergency over the opioid epidemic, the Los Angeles Times reported. The commission believes that the declaration would force a review of funding and create a better approach to combatting the epidemic. The commission reported that on average, there are 142 opioid-related deaths each day, highlighting the need for new strategies to prevent these fatalities, according to the LA Times.