THE BACKLASH TO THE OBAMACARE FIX HAS ALREADY STARTED
By Sarah Kliff,
Published: November 14 [Here extracts]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/14/the-backlash-to-the-obamacare-fix-has-already-started/
Re-published in http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
It took about three hours exactly
for states to start pushing back against President
Obama's request that regulators allow insurance plans to offer current products
in 2014.
Washington state insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler has
announced that he will not allow insurance companies to do so.
"In the interest of keeping the
consumer protections we have enacted and ensuring that we keep health insurance
costs down for all consumers, we are staying the course," he said in a
statement moments ago. "We will not be allowing insurance companies to
extend their policies. I believe this is in the best interest of the health
insurance market in Washington."
I covered the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners NAIC for about two years really closely. [..]. One thing you quickly learn
covering the NAIC is that it has a wing of really progressive, liberal
insurance commissioners, about five or six regulators who regularly work
together. Kreidler is without a doubt part of that camp and one of the most
liberal insurance regulators in the country.
It does feel a bit weird to have one
of the most liberal regulators be the first out of the gate to oppose Obama. At
the same time, it also makes sense: What
Kreidler is doing is a full-throated defense of the Affordable Care Act.
The whole reason insurance policies are getting cancelled right
now is because the Affordable Care Act wanted these plans – which have
less robust benefit packages – to go out of business.
That's why Washington is among a handful of largely
Democrat-led states that specifically bar insurers from offering
"early renewals": Plans that start in December
2013 and dodge health law requirements. This includes some really big states,
too, like California and New York.
"I encourage anyone who is
shopping for new health plans – whether you’ve been uninsured or have received
a cancellation notice from your insurer – to look at all of your options,"
Kreidler continues. "Don’t just
take what your insurance company says."
THE FULL STATEMENT FROM KREIDLER IS BELOW.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – “We have worked for
three years to implement the Affordable Care Act in a way that works best for
Washingtonians. One goal of our efforts has been to build a stable, fair and
competitive individual health insurance market.
I know that many people who buy
their own health insurance have struggled to keep their coverage. That is why
we have worked so hard to make these significant changes. We have brought
meaningful benefits to this market that the rest of us with employer-sponsored
health plans have enjoyed for years; benefits like prescription drug coverage,
maternity care, and reasonable limits on out-of-pocket costs. Our state-based
Exchange – Wahealthplanfinder.org – is up and running and successfully
enrolling thousands of consumers.
I understand that many people are
upset by the notices they have recently received from their health plans and
they may not need the new benefits today. But I have serious concerns about how
President Obama’s proposal would be implemented and more significantly, its
potential impact on the overall stability of our health insurance market.
I do not believe his proposal is a
good deal for the state of Washington. In the interest of keeping the consumer
protections we have enacted and ensuring that we keep health insurance costs
down for all consumers, we are staying the course. We will not be allowing
insurance companies to extend their policies. I believe this is in the best
interest of the health insurance market in Washington.
We estimate that 290,000 people will
need to buy new coverage and that at least half of them will qualify for a
premium subsidy. I encourage anyone who is shopping for new health plans –
whether you’ve been uninsured or have received a cancellation notice from your
insurer – to look at all of your options. Don’t just take what your insurance
company says. You may find better, more affordable coverage with a different insurer.
There are 46 individual health plans for sale in the Exchange and 51 plans
available outside the Exchange. If you need help reviewing your options, contact a navigator or an agent or broker.
------------
Sarah Kliff covers
health policy, focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and the health reform law. Her
work has appeared in Newsweek, Politico, and the BBC.
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