Administration offers 2-year ObamaCare extension for canceled health plans
Mar 6, 2014 09:18:55 #
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will let people keep health insurance plans that would otherwise be out of compliance with ObamaCare for another two years, in a delay Republicans portrayed as an election-year ploy.
The administration had already given people a one-year reprieve after millions had their health plans canceled last year, despite President Obama's promises that people could keep their plans if they wanted. The so-called "fix" was meant to ease the transition as well as the political headache for Democrats -- but the "fix," and the latest extension, will have limited impact, since it is up to individual insurance companies and state commissioners whether to re-offer canceled policies.
Republicans blasted the latest announcement as another sign the health law is faltering and Democrats want political cover. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the move "reeks of politics."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called it a "desperate move to protect vulnerable Democrats in national elections later this year."
"By announcing a new delay in requiring that policies meet minimum coverage standards, the administration avoids a new round of health policy cancellations set to hit shortly before the November elections," he said in a statement.
But the Department of Health and Human Services argued that the administration is simply trying to provide "flexibility" while the entire law is being implemented.
"These policies implement the health care law in a common-sense way by continuing to smooth the transition for consumers and stakeholders and fixing problems wherever the law provides flexibility," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statmeent. "This comprehensive guidance will help ensure that consumers, employers and insurers have the information they need to plan for next year and make it easier for families to make decisions to access quality, affordable coverage."
The extension would be valid for policies issued up to Oct. 1, 2016.
The cancellation of at least 4.7 million individual policies was one of the most politically damaging issues in the transition to a new insurance system under President Obama's health care law. A wave of cancellations hit last fall, around the time that the new HealthCare.gov website was overwhelmed with technical problems that kept many consumers for signing up for coverage.
It's not clear how many people would actually be affected by the latest change. About half the states have allowed insurance companies to extend canceled policies for a year under the original White House transition plan. The policies usually provided less financial protection and narrower benefits than the coverage required under the law. Nonetheless, the skimpier insurance was acceptable to many consumers because it generally cost less.
"It's not likely to affect a large number of people but it certainly avoids difficult anecdotes about people having their policies canceled," said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, an expert on insurance markets. "I think it's a small and dwindling number of people who are affected."
It's also not known if policyholders will find any financial relief if they are allowed to stay with their extended policies. Insurers in several states where extensions were allowed for 2014 have said they planned to hike the cost of those plans.
The insurance cancellations undercut the president's well-known promise that if people liked their plan they would be able to keep it under his health care law.
The law did include a complicated scheme called "grandfathering" to try to deliver on Obama's pledge. It was intended to shield policies in force at the time of the law's 2010 enactment from many new requirements, provided the policies themselves changed little. But insurers considered it impractical. And many of the canceled individual policies would not have been eligible for relief anyway, since they were purchased after the law's passage.
At first the White House went into damage-control mode, arguing that many of the canceled plans were "junk" insurance and consumers would be better off with the broader coverage available through the health care law's new insurance markets.
But soon Obama was forced to reverse course, urging insurers and state regulators to allow policyholders to keep their existing plans for an additional year.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led House also voted Wednesday for a one-year delay of the penalty that people would have to pay if they fail to sign up for health insurance.
It was the 50th time that Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by Obama. Wednesday's vote was 250-160, and it came despite a veto threat.
Isn't this what republicans wanted in the early going, a cooling off period to actually make the damn thing work?
The administration had already given people a one-year reprieve after millions had their health plans canceled last year, despite President Obama's promises that people could keep their plans if they wanted. The so-called "fix" was meant to ease the transition as well as the political headache for Democrats -- but the "fix," and the latest extension, will have limited impact, since it is up to individual insurance companies and state commissioners whether to re-offer canceled policies.
Republicans blasted the latest announcement as another sign the health law is faltering and Democrats want political cover. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the move "reeks of politics."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called it a "desperate move to protect vulnerable Democrats in national elections later this year."
"By announcing a new delay in requiring that policies meet minimum coverage standards, the administration avoids a new round of health policy cancellations set to hit shortly before the November elections," he said in a statement.
But the Department of Health and Human Services argued that the administration is simply trying to provide "flexibility" while the entire law is being implemented.
"These policies implement the health care law in a common-sense way by continuing to smooth the transition for consumers and stakeholders and fixing problems wherever the law provides flexibility," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statmeent. "This comprehensive guidance will help ensure that consumers, employers and insurers have the information they need to plan for next year and make it easier for families to make decisions to access quality, affordable coverage."
The extension would be valid for policies issued up to Oct. 1, 2016.
The cancellation of at least 4.7 million individual policies was one of the most politically damaging issues in the transition to a new insurance system under President Obama's health care law. A wave of cancellations hit last fall, around the time that the new HealthCare.gov website was overwhelmed with technical problems that kept many consumers for signing up for coverage.
It's not clear how many people would actually be affected by the latest change. About half the states have allowed insurance companies to extend canceled policies for a year under the original White House transition plan. The policies usually provided less financial protection and narrower benefits than the coverage required under the law. Nonetheless, the skimpier insurance was acceptable to many consumers because it generally cost less.
"It's not likely to affect a large number of people but it certainly avoids difficult anecdotes about people having their policies canceled," said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, an expert on insurance markets. "I think it's a small and dwindling number of people who are affected."
It's also not known if policyholders will find any financial relief if they are allowed to stay with their extended policies. Insurers in several states where extensions were allowed for 2014 have said they planned to hike the cost of those plans.
The insurance cancellations undercut the president's well-known promise that if people liked their plan they would be able to keep it under his health care law.
The law did include a complicated scheme called "grandfathering" to try to deliver on Obama's pledge. It was intended to shield policies in force at the time of the law's 2010 enactment from many new requirements, provided the policies themselves changed little. But insurers considered it impractical. And many of the canceled individual policies would not have been eligible for relief anyway, since they were purchased after the law's passage.
At first the White House went into damage-control mode, arguing that many of the canceled plans were "junk" insurance and consumers would be better off with the broader coverage available through the health care law's new insurance markets.
But soon Obama was forced to reverse course, urging insurers and state regulators to allow policyholders to keep their existing plans for an additional year.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led House also voted Wednesday for a one-year delay of the penalty that people would have to pay if they fail to sign up for health insurance.
It was the 50th time that Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by Obama. Wednesday's vote was 250-160, and it came despite a veto threat.
Isn't this what republicans wanted in the early going, a cooling off period to actually make the damn thing work?
Mar 6, 2014 09:28:10 #
deb_bus
Loc: fort worth and wichita falls tx, and houston
I think oscandal knows it's a disaster and wants to try and 'fix' things before the elections this year. Oscandal is not stupid when it comes to conning people. He's a natural at it. He knows people are unhappy with it and he's changing very major points in it. He's such a farce.
Mar 6, 2014 10:05:36 #
For the most part they were right, everyone deserves a lawyer no matter what they did but that lawyer should never be appointed to a high position. It's not like lawyers are hurting for money.
deb_bus wrote:
I think oscandal knows it's a disaster and wants to try and 'fix' things before the elections this year. Oscandal is not stupid when it comes to conning people. He's a natural at it. He knows people are unhappy with it and he's changing very major points in it. He's such a farce.
Mar 6, 2014 17:27:55 #
bmac32 wrote:
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that ... (show quote)
You are absolutely right; these stupid Republicans need to shut the hell up. Obama is repealing his law at such a rapid rate that there will be nothing left of it in two years. Just leave him alone...
Mar 7, 2014 01:04:01 #
CDM wrote:
You are absolutely right; these stupid Republicans need to shut the hell up. Obama is repealing his law at such a rapid rate that there will be nothing left of it in two years. Just leave him alone...
Do you think that maybe they like shooting themselves in the foot? It is like they have a case of the dumb ass. :thumbup: :thumbdown:
Mar 7, 2014 08:38:13 #
They seem to feel, and likely so, they need to say they are against ObamaCare. At this point they do because if they stop the lame stream media will take the silence as they accept it. All the republicans wanted was it delayed as to fix it but oh no it has to go forward. 31 mandates later plus three years letting people keep those insurance plans that the government said were crap.
mpix wrote:
Do you think that maybe they like shooting themselves in the foot? It is like they have a case of the dumb ass. :thumbup: :thumbdown:
Mar 7, 2014 13:30:32 #
Mar 7, 2014 14:08:39 #
docwill wrote:
Now that the plans are already canceled...
Yes, and also, doctors, being a tad brighter than our mysterious prez, are leaving the business, denying care, changing careers.
160 voted for repeal? -- well, there's 160 that should probably be reelected when the time comes. If it was 250 voting for repeal, then that means 250 should probably be reelected. Probably.
But, WTF, right? Obama is on spring break.. another *badly-needed* vacation. Is he paying for this party?
Mar 8, 2014 07:05:11 #
deb_bus
Loc: fort worth and wichita falls tx, and houston
Obama never uses his own money for his lavish trips. He uses our tax money to pay for them. He's going to make darn sure he retires from the presidency, a multi-millionaire. He got rich off of our tax dollars and he's not about to spend his money on vacations. He thinks it a privilege, as president, to do this. He spends tens of millions on his vacations. What a loser.
Mar 8, 2014 07:11:24 #
deb_bus wrote:
Obama never uses his own money for his lavish trips. He uses our tax money to pay for them. He's going to make darn sure he retires from the presidency, a multi-millionaire. He got rich off of our tax dollars and he's not about to spend his money on vacations. He thinks it a privilege, as president, to do this. He spends tens of millions on his vacations. What a loser.
That brings to mind the question my brother asked a while back: "Where has all that *stimulus* money gone?"
Since this administration has a reputation of being transparent and truthful, I am sure there will be an accounting of all funds.
Riiiiight.
Mar 8, 2014 13:07:27 #
deb_bus wrote:
Obama never uses his own money for his lavish trips. He uses our tax money to pay for them. He's going to make darn sure he retires from the presidency, a multi-millionaire. He got rich off of our tax dollars and he's not about to spend his money on vacations. He thinks it a privilege, as president, to do this. He spends tens of millions on his vacations. What a loser.
Sorry sweetheart; Obama is many things, none of them good for America or The People, but he is no loser...
Mar 8, 2014 13:19:45 #
deb_bus wrote:
I think oscandal knows it's a disaster and wants to try and 'fix' things before the elections this year. Oscandal is not stupid when it comes to conning people. He's a natural at it. He knows people are unhappy with it and he's changing very major points in it. He's such a farce.
He isn't trying to fix anything, he simply wants the problems hidden until after the elections. and you are right, they are conning those people who wish to be conned. Face it, only those who insist on not seeing are not seeing at this point.
Mar 8, 2014 13:59:16 #
deb_bus
Loc: fort worth and wichita falls tx, and houston
Well, I'm not being conned by him. I see right through him and his conning ways. I'll never support him. He is a disgrace to this country. We also need to make sure Hilarious isn't our next president. Shell just follow in his footsteps.
Mar 8, 2014 14:41:31 #
What a waste this has been, investing all the conservative energy on obamacare. If there had been as much time and energy on the economy, the conservative strategy would have been in a better position. There isn't anyone smart enough to out maneuver Obama, no one in the republican House or in the conservative PACs. They've met their Waterloo in Obama. Is there any hope for '14 House and Senate elections now that no significant demographic exists to secure a conservative rally using obamacare?
bmac32 wrote:
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that ... (show quote)
Mar 8, 2014 15:10:47 #
Sure there is but when the president does not follow the law even democrats have a hard time. Republicans take the Senate and the whole game changes.
UncleJesse wrote:
What a waste this has been, investing all the cons... (show quote)
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