Awesome. Who would have guessed that the insurance jammed down our throats by the compassionate new law would keep its costs down by eliminating doctors and hospitals from our networks? There are all kinds of tasty treats hidden in this shiny new law.
And if you thought that the big problem this week was limited to about 5% of the market -- and who cares about such a tiny voting bloc, right? -- it seems that closer to 90 million people are at risk of losing the coverage they wanted to keep. But no problem: they can all just shop around in the new market, right?
I thought my expectations about this program were about as bad as possible, but these people are surprising even me.
This is a good one, too: We had to take your insurance off the market, because we made a central planning decision that people probably weren't going to be willing to buy it any more once they saw our fabulous new product. That's capitalism.
6 comments:
A ray of hope (to steal one of your recent post titles). It finally occurred to me to call my Sales Rep at my insurer and ask if there was any way I could re-up for more current policy before the end of the year. This would change my start date to November or December 2013 and thus change my anniversary date to late 2014. I could keep my current insurance policy for most of next year (by which time perhaps ObamaCare would be kaput - hope on, hope ever).
It turns out there is a way. It's not a simple as I'd like and I still need some further info and to look at what the new policies offer but it can be done. (I've got more info about what I know and what I don't up at my blog.)
I thought to ask about this because I've read than some insurance companies were telling current subscribers about this possibility in their cancellation letters. My insurer didn't tell me this - I had to ask. Perhaps some (all?) insurance companies have a mechanism for doing the same thing and just aren't advertising it.
So in addition to paying more monthly in order to have a higher deductible, I could also enjoy having access to no doctors outside of major cities with large immigrant populations? If only the website worked so I could rush over and sign up!
Elise, that's what Blue Cross did for us when we fiddled with out policy last spring. On the negative side, the fiddling meant we lost our "grandfathered" status (though they vehemently denied at the time it would have any such effect, so stupid me for believing them). On the positive side, Blue Cross changed our policy to one that runs from 12-31 to 12-30, which is why we get to keep it through next year: our new policy will be effective 12-31-13 and live for one more year. We're hosed only after that date. For policies issued from 1-1-14 onward, and forever, there is no such thing as a $10K deductible ever again, because that was a feature of bad old Wild West.
Unless this stinking cesspile of a law is repealed, that is. Or, at the very least, the "You Can Keep Your Plan" amendments proposed by Sen. Johnson and newly panicked Sen. Landrieu are passed.
T99 - I'm glad you were able to get that done. If I had catastrophic coverage I would absolutely be doing the same thing.
I'm keeping my fingers cross for the "You Can Keep It" law. And beyond that, who knows? If I understand correctly the 90 million number is made up of a lot of people who get insurance through their employers and - again if I understand correctly - they won't see these changes until Fall of 2014. Maybe they'll hear before then that what's happening in the individual market now will happen to them next year - or maybe they won't.
The White House will move heaven and earth to prevent them from getting the information before they vote in November 2014. The employer mandate won't kick in until 1-1-15. A lot of those 90 million people belong to a school of thought that is smugly commenting on sites like the NYT that this disaster is landing only on a few malcontents in that crazy, under-regulated individual policy market so "sucks to be you." But it's coming for them next.
The White House will move heaven and earth to prevent them from getting the information before they vote in November 2014.
Actually, the White House may not care. I don't think Obama is a team player and he and his people may not lift a finger to help the Democrats in the 2014 election. Plus I'm honestly beginning (with no partisan snark intended) to wonder about Obama. I never thought he was exceptionally intelligent but now I suspect he may be so unintelligent and/or irrational that he either (a) really believes ObamaCare will bring costs down and so the premiums for open enrollment in 2014 will look good or (b) truly does not understand the connection between what open enrollment is and when premium info must become available.
Even if the White House wakes up, figures out there's a problem, and wants to do something about it, I don't think they can. Open enrollment in 2014 for 2015 policies is going to be 53 days, running from October 15 to December 7. If the Democrats want to push the start of open enrollment back to the day after the election (November 5) that means the 53 days will be up as of December 28.
Regardless of whether the insurance companies want to accommodate a request for delay, I don't think they can do so and still be sure of getting people covered as of January 1, 2015. I also don't think the employers whose plans are going to be changing can withstand a postponement. Plus everyone would have to agree not only that open enrollment would start late but that the new rates wouldn't be released until the day open enrollment starts. Even if employees would stand for that, those rates would leak somehow.
I think the Democrats are out of luck on this one - but then of course I've thought that before.
Post a Comment