Thursday, November 21, 2013

CAREFIRST DECIDES HOW TO HANDLE THE PRESIDENTS CHANGE OF HEART

As we all know the President is now allowing the states to decide whether they let individuals keep their plans if they want. (Even if they aren't grandfathered)  It appears that this would only be a one year reprieve in any regard.  It also passes the buck to the States.  There was also a question if small employer groups would be allowed to remain with their current plans without having to be forced into reform coverage.  According to Carefirst, Individuals who have received termination notices will be given the opportunity to remain on their current plans if they renew them by mid-December.  In reference to the small group employers (those under 50 full-time employees)  there will be no change from current procedure.  In other words, non-grandfathered small group plans will need to move to reform plans at their renewal in 2014.  

Thursday, November 14, 2013

NEVERMIND, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR PLAN.....ATLEAST FOR INDIVIDUALS

Today in a statement from the President, individual policyholders will now be allowed to maintain their current health plan if they so choose.  This was on the heels of tremendous pressure put on the President because of statements made by him....."if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan, period".  As we all know this turned out to be untrue.  What seems to be overlooked are all of the individuals and families in employer based coverage being forced into reform plans. (Employer Group Under 50 Employees)  If employer based plans are not "Grandfathered" same as individual market, they would lose their current plan and be forced into a plan that now conforms to the Affordable Care Act (health reform).  The individual market is being addressed, the small group employer market is being overlooked.  


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

THE NUMBERS ARE IN!

Kathleen Sebelius annouced today the approximate count of people getting covered or expected to get coverage through exchanges/medicaid.   The big winners are people getting Medicaid and the big losers..........everyone else.  During the first month there were approximately 107,000 people who were able to log into the exchanges (Federal and State) and actually sign up for a plan. This is far, far, far below the estimates as one would imagine.  However, there were approximately 390,000 that were deemed eligible for medicaid or some other government funded plans. The problem that one would immediately see is that Medicaid has no income, meaning it is, for the most part, funded by the government (taxpayers) with no or little cost to the recipient.  If the administration was hoping that people paying into the system were going to help offset this, we may have a problem if the trend continues.  

Additionally, hopefully the administration will pull-back on not allowing people to keep their current health plan.  More than 11 Million people who purchased individual plans would be forced from their plan to purchase reform coverage.  This is not exactly what our President said we would be able to do.  

To be continued..................