What We're Reading: ACA Enrollment Spikes; CVS Rx Drug Delivery; Ohio's Drug-Pricing Measure

ACA Enrollments Spike in First Days

In the first few days of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), numbers of people enrolling in coverage have surpassed the previous year. On the first day, more than 200,000 Americans chose a plan, which is more than double the number who signed up on day 1 in 2016, reported The Washington Post. Despite the White House reducing funding for promoting the ACA, traffic to HealthCare.gov was up 33% over last year. State exchanges are reporting similar increases. For example, Colorado reported more than 4000 people logged into the exchange, far surpassing the expected 2700.

CVS Will Offer Next-Day Delivery of Prescriptions

With Amazon’s potential entry hanging over the pharmacy industry, CVS has announced a new strategy to offer next-day delivery of prescription drugs in 2018. In some big cities, CVS will offer same-day service, according to The New York Times. The announcement also follows falling retail sales, including prescription sales. At this time, the delivery partner for CVS has not yet been announced.

Voter Confusion on Ohio’s Drug-Pricing Act

Ads around Ohio’s Drug Price Relief Act has muddied the waters and caused confusion for voters, who will need to weigh in on the single ballot-box question next week. According to Kaiser Health News, the act is supposed to combat rising drug costs, and the issue has gotten a lot of attention. Opponents and supporters have spent $58 million and $14 million, respectively. A similar measure was rejected in California last year.