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The Republican Alternative to Obamacare––Their Aversion to Fixing It May Prove to Be a Political Mistake
The Republicans have an alternative to Obamacare and they may have given the Democrats a big political gift. The proposal was unveiled last Monday by Republican Senators Richard Burr, (NC), Tom Coburn (OK), and Orrin Hatch (UT). The Republican plan targets many of the most unpopular parts of the Affordable Care Act such as expensive mandated benefits and the resulting lack of choice, the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - February 3, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Survey Data and Market Reports Say the Uninsured Are Not Signing Up for Obamacare
In my last post, I asked, "But what if most of the uninsured literally don't buy Obamacare?" "Only 11% of consumers who bought new coverage under the law were previously uninsured," according to a survey of 4,563 consumers eligible for the health insurance exchanges done by McKinsey & Company and reported in Saturday's Wall Street Journal. The Journal reports that "insurers, brokers, and (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - January 19, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Obamacare: To Buy Or Not To Buy–––An Entrepreneur Would Have Done It Differently
Now that consumers can generally make an efficient health insurance purchase at HealthCare.gov and most of the state-run exchanges, we can finally get to the real question. Are the healthy uninsured going to buy it? The big health insurance changes Obamacare made to the individual and small group market were arguably done in order to get everyone, sick and healthy, covered in a more equitable (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - January 13, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Will There Be an Obamacare Death Spiral in 2015? No
If the Obamacare health insurance exchanges are not able to get a good spread of risk––many more healthy people than sick––the long-term viability of the program will be placed in great jeopardy. Given the early signs––far fewer people signing up than expected, enormous negative publicity about website problems, rate shock, big average deductibles, narrow provider networks, and a general growing (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - January 6, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

HealthCare.gov Enrolls 1.1 Million by Year-End––Cause For Celebration or Worry?
After the disastrous launch of Obamacare the enrollment of 1.1 million people in the 36 state exchanges run by the feds is a major accomplishment. It is likely that the enrollment in the 14 state-run exchanges will take total Obamacare's private insurance enrollment to near 2 million for the year. Does this mean that Obamacare is finally on track and moving toward success? At least the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - December 29, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

The Obamacare Slippery Slope––What's Your "Hardship?"
As of this morning, here are the new rules. If you had a health insurance policy that was cancelled, you are now exempt from the individual mandate and its tax penalty should you not decide to buy a replacement policy. In addition, you can now sign up for the very high deductible Catastrophic Plan that was originally reserved only for those under the age of 30. If you did not have a health (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - December 20, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Obamacare Week 10––A Dearth of Enrollment In the States and Continuing Backroom Problems
A few observations after 10 weeks of Obamacare implementation. The Obama administration released the first two months enrollment figures this week. With HealthCare.gov still struggling in November, the enrollment of 137,000 people in the 36 states was expected. The main event for the federal exchanges will play out in December now that most people can navigate it. What I found notable in the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - December 12, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Is Obamacare Responsible For the Recent Slowdown in Health Care Costs?
That is what we have been told the Obama administration will claim on Friday as they begin the job of reselling Obamacare. Is Obamacare even partly responsible for the slowdown in health care costs? That is silly. First, Obamacare is not a health care reform law; it is a health insurance reform law. No one on either side of the debate has ever argued anything different. Does the law have some (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - December 5, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

The December 1 Obamacare Relaunch––Nobody Can Spin the Main Event
From 27,000 enrollments in October to a reported 100,000 enrollments in November, the Affordable Care Act's website is apparently working better and getting more people signed up. But is it fixed well enough to handle the expected wave of at least many hundreds of thousands of people eager to get guarantee issue health insurance for the first time or replace a canceled policy by January 1? (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - December 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Trying to Make Sense of the Covered California Numbers
I've read a number of reports in recent days gushing over the progress Covered California is making leading the nation in signing up people for Obamacare. But, I am having trouble understanding how the numbers should make anyone gush with enthusiasm. Covered California, the state health insurance exchange, has a goal of enrolling 500,000 to 700,000 subsidy eligible Californians by March 31, (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 25, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

"If You Like Your Doctor You Will Be Able to Keep Your Doctor. Period"
I think you can guess who said that. Actually, here is what the President said at the American Medical Association Meeting in July, 2009––and likely lots more times: "No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, your will keep your health plan. Period. No one will take it away. No (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 21, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Small Group Health Insurance "Cancellations"––The Next Shoe to Drop But a More Complicated One
Obamacare is impacting the small group insurance market in many of the same ways as the individual health insurance market. While employers with less than 50 workers don't have to provide coverage, if they do they are required to comply with the same essential benefit mandates, age rating changes, and pre-existing condition reforms the individual market faces. That means essentially all small (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 20, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Obamacare Rollout Week Seven: Better and Nowhere Near Good Enough
I can provide you with an Obamacare federal exchange rollout update from two decidedly different perspectives: The website is working much better with enrollment increasing at least three-fold over just a few weeks ago with backroom error rates considerably improved; or The enrollment, to give you a general sense of what's happening, for a health plan that might have to sign-up 100,000 people in (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 19, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Obama Pushes the Cancellation Mess to the Health Plans
Read my Op-Ed at USA Today: Insurance Industry Readied While Obama Slept (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 17, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

California's Health Insurance Exchange Enrollment Says a Lot About What Could Have Been and What Still Has To Happen
Covered California, the state-run Obamacare health insurance exchange, announced yesterday that 59,000 people have so far signed up for health insurance. Given that California amounts to about 10% of the nation's population, this would suggest a smooth running federal exchange might well have enabled the Obama administration to have met its national first month goal of 500,000 sign-ups. But the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - November 14, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs