With insurers pulling out and policies failing him, President Barack Obama is trying every possible measure to sustain his much-talked about pet project Obamacare, according to Politico.
As there is not much Obama can expect from the divided Congress, his administration is hoping to successfully stop insurers from deserting the federal health care law.
Obama's team has been pushing uninsured Americans to sign up for coverage, while they gear up for the final Obamacare open-enrollment season just a week before Election Day.
There have been umpteen reports about rising premiums, narrow insurance options and fleeing insurers.
Earlier this week, Obama met leading insurance executives to discuss how to work with them on Obamacare. He asked for their continued commitment to the health care law despite its recent spate of difficulties.
"The subject of the meeting was to discuss ways that insurers and the administration can use to encourage new customers to sign up and returning customers to shop around and re-enroll," an official was quoted as saying, according to the Washington Examiner.
The insurers, in response, proposed steps the administration could take to strengthen the Obamacare markets.
"We know that this progress has not been without challenges," Obama wrote to each insurer selling Obamacare plans. "Most new enterprises have growing pains and opportunities for improvement. The Marketplace, while strong, is no exception. Time and experience will help drive that improvement, as will constructive policy changes."
Two prominent firms, Aetna and United Health Group, who have pulled out of Obamacare projects, were conspicuous by their absence.
Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett were among administration officials who attended the meet.
In the meantime, the administration is taking steps on its own to prevent the marketplaces from collapsing. The president will hold a "Millennial Outreach and Engagement Summit" later this month at the White House, according to The Washington Post.
Martin Hickey, CEO of New Mexico Health Connections, was enthusiastic about the summit with Obama.
"He sincerely seemed to be listening, and I think that gave a lot of comfort to people in the room," Hickey said. "We all left feeling hopeful that he and the secretary and their staffs would do what they can to address the issues brought up. I honestly felt optimistic."
The Obama administration is trying its best to pacify insurers by addressing all their problems. Insurers have complained that some customers have been signing up in "special enrollment periods" when they get sick and then dumping coverage once they've been treated.
Despite all disparities, it has been noted that there is still scope of fixing it rather than discarding it altogether. The Census Bureau recently announced that the number of uninsured cases has is down by 4 percent since 2013.
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