What's new on pre-existing condition health plans, the Medicaid expansion

CQ HealthBeat offers a progress check on the health law's pre-existing condition insurance plan while the St. Louis Beacon explores the Medicaid expansion debate.

CQ HealthBeat: Enrollment Climbs In Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
Enrollment in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan hit 82,000 as of July 31, an all-time high for a program that had a slow start following its creation in the health care law. But it's still far from the 375,000 Americans who were expected to rush to sign up, based on early estimates by actuaries with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. One problem for the program has been that the plan premiums, while at market rates, are costly for people with moderate incomes (Norman, 10/3).

St. Louis Beacon: At Issue: Debate Over Medicaid Expansion Continues
Angela Pace gave up on getting $1,600 worth of medicine to shrink a tumor after she discovered that her insurer required her to cover 75 percent of the cost…. The two regard the proposed Medicaid expansion as one way to bring relief to working poor like themselves…. Whether Medicaid should be expanded to cover the near poor continues to be widely discussed in every state, with GOP leadership in some states, such as Missouri, reluctant to expand the program, while Democrats in states like Illinois are embracing the Medicaid changes (Joiner, 10/3).

Meanwhile, a new study questions an often repeated health reform proposal advanced by many Republicans -

The Hill: Study: Little Practical Interest In Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Efforts to sell health insurance across state lines haven't made much of an impact or galvanized much popular support, according to a new paper. Researchers at Georgetown University examined state laws that make it easier for insurance companies to sell plans across state lines -; a hallmark of GOP healthcare plans, including the party's plan to replace President Obama's healthcare law. Only six states have passed laws to allow the sale of insurance policies from other states, and not a single insurance company has taken advantage of the expanded market, according to the research (Baker, 10/3).