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 ObamaCare, then, really, what would you rather have: a
check for $100 or so, or a way to avoid the $2,100 premium increase in
the first place?”
NPR's Julie Rovner had a story on Friday––"White House Muddles Obamacare Messaging Again"––that caught my eye.
She drew a distinction between how the administration has been going about unsuccessfully selling the new health law and the way the Republicans have been more successfully attacking it:
A Health Care Reform Blog––Bob Laszewski's review of the latest developments in federal health policy, health care reform, and marketplace activities in the health care financing business.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
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 "random sampling" of people when, among other things, "an individual does not have a tax return on file and attests to an income significantly below current wage data."
I noted a couple of things in her memo.
Her memo indicates that the exchanges will request additional income information from a "random sampling" of people when, among other things, "an individual does not have a tax return on file and attests to an income significantly below current wage data."
Sunday, July 7, 2013
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 personal income information they get from the Federal Data Hub during 2014 if it conflicts with "attestations" made by individuals.
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 personal income information they get from the Federal Data Hub during 2014 if it conflicts with "attestations" made by individuals.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
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 worker that went to the insurance exchanges if the employer package was not affordable.
Why did the administration delay the large employer mandate?
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 worker that went to the insurance exchanges if the employer package was not affordable.
Why did the administration delay the large employer mandate?