Tag: ACA
Learning the Hard Way
I hate to say it, but the only way the message will get across is if the ACA is repealed with no replacement and everyone on it loses their insurance. At least, it seems like the only way the message will be heard. Though, I’m partially expecting the newly insurance-less to blame Obama for their loss of coverage.
The Obama Veto: Episode VIII
The next Republican Congress and President will, rather than make improvements and expand health insurance to all, repeal the Affordable Care act and fire 23 million Americans from their insurance policies, eliminating their financial ability to receive healthcare.
Health Insurance Cannot Be A La Carte
Health insurance only works if it covers your health care needs and mine. It only works if the pool is big enough. It really isn’t a case of priorities, because, if it were, then that numbers game would result in orphan diseases (very rare diseases that only affect a few) not being covered.
And, I sincerely doubt that those advocating for not covering birth control and maternity coverage would be fighting against coverage for Adrenoleukodystrophy and Landau Kleffner syndrome – let alone Viagra. Know why? Because the debate now raging isn’t about the ACA. It’s, once again, about women and sex. It’s just another branch of the war against women, and the men who love them.
Perspective on the Obamacare Rollout
Now that the GOP hostage-taking is done, the media is ready to pay attention to the Obamacare rollout. It is been frought with problems — access to the website, errors on the website, transfers of data to the insurance companies and it just sounds like the failure of the century. Certainly something like this *should* roll out better, but I can’t think of a tech rollout that I’ve seen that has been glitchless. If you’ve used Faceboook long enough, you know that every time they change their interface, the place is glitch-city until they fix it. Facebook is not the same as Obamacare, of course, but Obamacare isn’t the only health care initiative that had a great many issues when it rolled out. So how about a reminder?
The Delaware Health Exchange Enrollment Campaign Begins
DHSS kicked off the official enrollment campaign for the Delaware Health Exchange at the LACC on Monday. Delawareans should be able to view the available plans, enroll in plans and assess their eligibility for subsidies or Medicaid starting on October 1, via the Choose Health Delaware website. This should mean that starting soon, Delawareans should be bombarded with information about insurance coverage through a variety of media and venues. In addition, the ACA has provisions for hiring groups and individuals to help do outreach about the program and eligibility as well as other individuals (Navigators) who assist those who want or need help working with the website. Today’s NJ has an article on the beginning of the outreach here:
First Looks at the Delaware Health Insurance Exchange
Under the ACA, each state is supposed to create and manage a medical insurance marketplace where people who aren’t covered by insurance can buy plans. Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace website went live this AM — although the details of the exchange and the insurance options on offer are not yet available. I’m mildly surprised that California and NY got theirs up earlier — I had thought at one time that Delaware was pretty far ahead of the planning curve for planning and implementing this. Which is probably a misconception on my part.
Supreme Court ACA Watch Open Thread
Today is supposed to be the last day of this Supreme Court session so all of the breathless press vamping waiting on the ACA decision officially turns into lots of breathless punditry sometime after 10AM today. I’m posting this thread for everyone to have a place to start posting your own prognostications and links to people who are doing a good job at discussing the issues involved.
The End of For Profit Insurance Companies
So claims the CEO, Chairman and President of Aetna Insurance, Mark Bertolini. He was speaking at a health-related conference in Las Vegas, and told his audience:
In Which We Find Karen Weldin Stewart Abandoning Delaware Consumers Again
Back in June, we discussed the actions of KWS to apply for waivers from the medical cost ratio rule for two insurance companies so that they can continue to pay commissions to brokers and sales agents. Since then, HHS has finalized its rule that requires that the costs to pay premiums or other support to brokers and sales agents be categorized as Administrative Costs and therefore included to the maximum 20% overhead allowed by the ACA. Delaware’s own Insurance Commissioner voted in a recent NAICS action to vote on a resolution that recommends that Congress exempt the fees insurance agents and brokers from medical loss ratio calculations (pdf) and that HHS revive their rulemaking to exclude brokers and agents from the the administrative costs of insurance companies.
Waivers So That Brokers Can Get Paid
Today’s NJ has a spectacular bit of reporting on the effort by the Insurance Commissioner to request waivers for two insurance firms in Delaware.
Calling Their Bluff
President Obama has expressed support for a bill sponsored by Ron Wyden and Scott Brown that will move up the date at which states can put in their own health care reform ideas.
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