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Why the Federal Health Insurance Exchange and So Many State Exchanges Are Not Working
We may be getting a better idea why the federal exchange and so many state exchanges aren't working. An article in Saturday's Baltimore Sun, regarding Maryland's problems, provides insight I have not seen elsewhere: Problems began immediately after the exchange launched Tuesday, as people tried to create accounts and log onto the site. State officials blamed the account creation process, in (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - October 5, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

The Affordable Health Care Act's Launch On October 1st––So How Did it Go?
Unavoidably, that will be the big question come Tuesday. But there will be much more to it than that. A 180-Day Open Enrollment––Not a One-Day Open Enrollment What happens on the first day, for good or bad, will constitute only a tiny percentage of the open enrollment period. Consumers will likely visit the new websites many times before they make any decisions, and that is exactly as it should (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - September 29, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Benefit Shock? Consumers Will Be Surrpised By What They Find on the New "Obamacare" Health Insurance Exchanges
Will we have rate shock? It looks to me like consumers will have a choice when they get to look at the health plans available on the new "Obamacare" health insurance exchanges––rate shock or benefit shock. While there has been lots of focus on the issue of rate shock, I will suggest that just as big an issue may well be benefit shock—that consumers will look at what they will be getting for (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - September 18, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

So If the Maryland Health Insurance Rates Are So Cheap Why Did I Get This Postcard From Maryland Blue Cross?
That's what I wondered when I got this postcard; presumably sent to lots of people who live in Maryland: In it, (click on card to enlarge) Maryland Blue Cross is telling me that; "I am invited to obtain a [health] plan right now with rates that may be significantly lower than reform-compliant plans [their emphasis]." Are they suggesting there is rate shock coming? I was surprised to get this (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - September 16, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Oregon Delays Key Element of Insurance Exchange––Good for Them!
Five years from now no one will remember if their "Obamacare" health insurance exchange launched on October 1. The state-run Oregon health insurance exchange, Cover Oregon, recently announced it will be delaying web access to the its new "Obamacare" health insurance offerings two to four weeks later than the scheduled October 1 launch date. People will be able to begin signing up for health (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - August 13, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

"ObamaCare" Small Ball––The Republicans Are Winning the Battle Over the Big Idea
Last week the President waded directly into the national debate over "ObamaCare" by calling a big media event in the East Room of the White House to talk about the $100 rebates a small percentage of potentially eligible people are getting under the new health law. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell countered, "If you’re a family in Covington facing a $2,100 premium increase under (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - July 21, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

People Who Haven't Filed a Tax Return to Get Unverified Health Insurance Exchange Subsidies
The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Marilyn Tavenner, is out with a "Myths vs. Fact" clarification memo regarding the waiver of the employer mandate and whether the new health insurance exchanges will verify people's incomes when calculating subsidies. I noted a couple of things in her memo. Her memo indicates that the exchanges will request additional income information from a " (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - July 10, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Health Insurance Exchange Subsidies Will Be Granted on the Honor System!––Is There Something Wrong With "ObamaCare's" Federal Data Hub?
Come October millions of people will be applying for tens of billions of dollars in federal health insurance premium subsidies on the honor system. On the Friday after the Fourth of July––when the administration apparently hoped no one would be paying attention––the Obama administration dropped 606 pages of regulations. Buried inside was the news that that insurance exchanges can ignore any (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - July 7, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Administration Delays the Employer Mandate––But What About Small Employers?
The administration suddenly announced tonight that the requirement that all employers with 50 or more workers offer health insurance has been delayed until 2015. If an employer with 50 or more workers did not provide health insurance to their full time workers in 2014, they would have been subject to a fine of $2,000 per worker. The employer would have also been subject to a $3,000 fine for each (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - July 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Will the Affordable Care Act's ("ObamaCare") Federal Health Insurance Exchanges Be Ready On Time? Finally the Facts!
After months of speculation on just where the Obama administration is toward the development of the new health insurance exchanges, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a 48-page report complete with timelines and a detailed report on just where the Obama administration is––or at least was last month. The key summary: "Much  progress  has  been  made,  but  much  remains  to  (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - June 19, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Will the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Exchanges Be Ready On Time? The Obama Administration's Top Secret Enterprise
Last week, I received my weekly email update from the Maryland health insurance exchange: Maryland Health Connection completed its Final Detailed Design Review (FDDR) live system demo on Thursday, May 30. The FDDR is a federal stage-gate required of all state-based exchanges. Maryland Health Connection successfully demonstrated end-to-end enrollment of a split family scenario including user log (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - June 10, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Flawed Analysis––Medical Loss Ratio Rules Led to $1.9 billion in Lower Premiums
The Kaiser Family Foundation is out with a study contending that the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requirements of the Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") saved consumers $1.9 billion in premiums in 2012: "So how might these (new MLR requirements) changes have affected premiums? As noted above, one way to address this question is to compute what these consumers would have paid in premiums in 2011 and (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - June 7, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Rate Shock in California!––The New Health Insurance Exchange Plans––Comparing Apples to Oranges to Grapefruit
I have to say I was surprised with the press reports last week that there wasn't "rate shock" in California when the California exchange offered preliminary information about their new plans and rates. At least one prominent health actuarial group had predicted a 30% baseline increase in costs for California's new health insurance exchange plans under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare"). As (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - May 28, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

A Health Insurance Exchange That Won't Be a "Train Wreck"
Every week, I get an email from the Maryland Health Connection––the state run health insurance exchange. Maryland is one of a minority of states that are building their own Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") exchange. You can go to their site and sign up for these weekly updates. Let me suggest that Maryland is an example of what an on-track and well organized effort looks like for any exchange (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - April 30, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act––More Evidence That Rate Shock is Coming
The Society of Actuaries is out with another estimate of health insurance rate increases as a result of implementation of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). While there is a great deal of difference between states, they are estimating an average increase of 31.5% on account of the new underwriting reform and benefit expansion requirements of the health law: These rate increase (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - March 27, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs