Carriers Gaming the System
Insurance carriers aren't stupid. They run a business and their model is to make money. At the very least they work the business model to avoid losses when possible. Too bad government doesn't work that way.But I digress.Health insurance carriers withdrawing from the market is nothing new. It has happened before #Obamacare and will continue. But the number of carriers offering health insurance now vs. before 2010 has seen a significant drop off. For the most part the companies no longer playing in the health insurance pool had a small market share. Some only offered coverage in a handful of states while othe...
Source: InsureBlog - March 12, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Double Secret Mandate
So what happens if you lose your health insurance, can't qualify for a taxpayer funded subsidy from the rich, or you do qualify but the plans on the Obamacare exchange are too expensive?Ask for a mandate waiver.In 2013, HHS decided that ObamaCare's wave of policy terminations qualified as a "hardship" that entitled people to a special type of coverage designed for people under age 30 or a mandate exemption. HHS originally defined and reserved hardship exemptions for the truly down and out such as battered women, the evicted and bankrupts.WSJWhat about battered men?But apparently that definition wasn't good enough.But amid ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 12, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
A Tale of Two Clients
On the one hand, the plural of "anecdote" is not "data;" on the other, I believe that these two clients' recent experiences with the ObamaTax Exchange may be illustrative of a broader set of problems:Client Number 1 recently lost his employer-based health insurance (the employer made the perfectly sensible decision to cancel the increasingly expensive group plan altogether), leaving himself and his family to fend for themselves on the Exchange.After fiddling with the Subsidy Calculator, they determined that they were eligible for about $200 a month in subsidies ("premium discount"). That's a lot of cash to leave on the tab...
Source: InsureBlog - March 11, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
VERY Stupid Agent Tricks
On the one hand, having an agent help you "navigate" (heh) the 404care.gov site is essential. Having one who actually knows what he/she is talking about is equally so.Witness the power of this fully operational StupidStar:"Yes, you can still get health insurance after Obamacare open enrollment ends."In a glaring - and unprofessional - attempt to correct herself, "The Goddess" has completely revamped her original post, without leaving the original post intact, as if actual professionals didn't already save her egregious misrepresentations.Here's what her post originally said:“Yes, you can still get health insurance ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 11, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
The ObamaTax has evicerated the concept of underwriting, at least so far as medical insurance is concerned. About the only thing for which carriers can levy a surcharge is tobacco use. In fact, the law allows them to charge up to 50% for tobacco users.Two questions spring immediately to mind: first, what's the definition of "tobacco use" and second, what if you lie about misrepresent your tobacco use when applying for coverage?The first seems simple enough. According to HHS (as included on ACA plan applications):"Tobacco Smoker definition – the legal use (other than religious or ceremonial) of any tobacco product on aver...
Source: InsureBlog - March 10, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Boycotting the ACA
? Refuse to buy #Obamacare? Here is an easy to use penalty calculator. And no, the penalty is not limited to $95. Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 7, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Fox Butterfield, indeed
We've discussed the Fox Butterfield Effect before ("the prisons are full, despite a decreasing crime rate"), but I wonder if two seemingly unconnected news items don't provide a powerful demonstration of it.Co-blogger Mike Feehan sends us this little worthy:"...more than 37 significant changes already have been made to ObamaCare: at least 20 that President Obama has made unilaterally, 15 that Congress has passed and the president has signed, and 2 by the Supreme Court"That's from the Galen Institute, and goes on to observe that more changes are on the way. While it's quite an exhaustive list, and well worth keeping handy, ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 7, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Patrick hits the Big Time (Again)
Our own Pat Paule has written a guest article at The Federalist about the upcoming slaughter of impact of the ACA on small group plans. It's a great post (no surprise).An excerpt:"The big elephant in the room for small business owners is high costs to insure people. The promise of every family saving $2500 wasn’t something employers ever believed would happen. But they also didn’t anticipate the significant increase in premiums they are about to see due to community rating and narrow age bands."Please go Read The Whole Thing.Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 7, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Julie Boonstra goes Boom on The ObamaTax
A few weeks ago, Michigan's Julie Boonstra, a leukemia victim, cut a video critical of her CongressCritter's support of the ObamaTax. This wife and mother soon found herself on the receiving end of the Oh-So-Tolerant-Left, who threatened to sue any media that ran the ad.But Wolverine Mama Grizzlies are no pushovers:[Hat Tip: Powerline Blog]Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 6, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
A Principal of Underwriting
Buying life insurance can be a daunting experience. First of all, who wants to think about being dead? Then, one has to consider all the financial considerations and problems facing one's family when one passes on, and make some determination about how much coverage to buy. Finally, one has to then decide what type of plan is appropriate (term, whole life, etc).And then, one most likely has to "face the needle:" undergo a paramed exam including blood and urine samples.But what if there was a way to avoid that last step?The Principal Financial Group has introduced their "accelerated underwriting" process that could dramatic...
Source: InsureBlog - March 6, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Trust in the Lord
A few years have passed since we looked at Christian health care sharing ministries as an alternative to real health insurance, and perhaps it is time to visit them again. Back in 2007 we posted Pennies From Heaven, a post that attracted attention but never really gained traction. That was then.This is now.Fast forward 7 years and we are in full blown Obamacare. Cancelled health insurance plans. High rates. Higher deductibles. Higher out of pocket.As if this isn't enough, a recent poll said 63% of the nation does not like Obamacare.Imagine that . . .All these things coming together mean there are a lot of people look...
Source: InsureBlog - March 5, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Cavalcade of Risk #203: Done and Up
Bob Wilson presents a truly remarkable edition of the Cavalcade of Risk, with almost a dozen interesting entries. From ID Theft to the perils of Physical Interactivity, he's got you covered. Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 5, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
What could *possibly* go wrong?
"Hospital records are being used by private firms advising companies how to target their marketing"No, this isn't a result of The ObamaTax (yet), but it's clearly where we're heading.Now, if this was "aggregated" information (that is, information on groups or demographics) then perhaps this could be a good thing: if, for example, it turned out that 40-year-old diabetics were routinely misdiagnosed or treated, then that could help the MVNHS© hone in on specific providers and, perhaps, resolve that problem.In this case, however, it appears that the (heretofore private) health information of specific patients is being divulg...
Source: InsureBlog - March 5, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
That train(wreck) has left the station [UPDATED: Clarification]
Unbelievable:"...the White House will announce a new directive allowing insurers to continue offering health plans that do not meet ObamaCare’s minimum coverage requirements."Really?Here's a news flash:"...even if carriers wanted to sell these plans, they still have to price and file them with the 58 states' departments of insurance, and then feed these rates into their quoting engines"That's right: the only non-ACA-compliant plans that are left are those that have been grandfathered. And adding insult to injury, grandfathered plans cannot be changed; that is, no deductible changes, no adding or dropping benefits, period...
Source: InsureBlog - March 4, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Wait, wait!
So, MVNHS© victims patients continue receiving free healthcare.Eventually:"Millions of patients wait as long as three weeks to see their GP"The problem, of course, is quite simple: high demand ("free" healthcare) with low supply (healthcare).Here, of course, it's a completely different matter: we can't even get the "free" part right. Just ask Jacki Manley:"...a stay-at-home mom in the western Maryland town of Keedysville, who has been trying since mid-December to enroll in a health plan through that state's health exchange."Just wait 'til she's signed up, and gets the same great "service" as our Cousins Across The Pond.Th...
Source: InsureBlog - March 3, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
