In a 5-0 vote by the Board overseeing California’s health insurance exchange, California has rejected President Barack Obama’s directive to allow cancelled policies to extend past the end of the year even if they don’t comply with his healthcare law.
Last week, President Obama proposed allowing insurers to renew policies due to be canceled because they didn’t comply with benefit requirements, but he said it was up to individual states whether to allow his fix.
Covered California board members said allowing the older polices to continue would undermine the new insurance marketplaces and will continue to phase out 1-million policies that do not meet the requirements of the federal health care overall.
Here is a press release today from Covered California which was issued this afternoon.
Covered California Upholds Original Deadline for Ending Health Plans That Don’t Meet Law’s Standards
Strong Enrollment in New Health Insurance Marketplace a Factor in Decision
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As consumer enrollment continues to grow, the Covered California™ Board unanimously voted today to uphold its Dec. 31, 2013, deadline for health insurance companies to discontinue plans that don’t meet basic standards. The board cited that extending the deadline offers no benefit to the consumer and may create confusion about accessing affordable health care coverage through Covered California.
The board, consistent with President Barack Obama’s recommendations, also urged Covered California staff to implement helpful tools for consumers currently enrolled in affected plans, to better understand their options.
The decision to maintain the original deadline also confirms the state exchange’s commitment to transitioning Californians into plans that are compliant with the reforms of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, protecting consumers from double deductibles and stabilizing the risk pool to control costs for consumers beginning in 2014.
Additionally, Covered California is implementing five key strategies to sustain, if not increase, its enrollment momentum and help affected consumers:
- Extending the deadline for enrollment for coverage taking effect on Jan. 1, 2014, from Dec. 15, 2013, to Dec. 23, 2013, and extending the deadline for payments due from Dec. 26, 2013, to Jan. 5, 2014.
- Establishing a telephone hotline for consumers to resolve enrollment questions. The hotline, (855) 857-0445, will be available beginning Monday, Nov. 25.
- Sending information directly to nearly 1.13 million affected individuals that provides clear options for coverage. The information will be sent from Covered California and the individual’s current insurance provider.
- Collecting and reporting data, on a regular basis, showing the impacts of conversion for individuals.
- Engaging consumers in their communities through the thousands of Certified Insurance Agents, Certified Enrollment Counselors and Certified Educators now deployed statewide.
“The consumer is front and foremost in Covered California’s policy decision process. These new strategies will provide consumers a better enrollment experience, more flexibility in the selection of a plan and, most importantly, increased knowledge with which to make the best health coverage choice possible,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee.
The board and Covered California staff discussed options for maintaining or extending the deadline after President Obama last week gave state insurance exchanges flexibility on when policies that were not grandfathered and are not compliant with the Affordable Care Act could be ended.
18 comments
I just love the fact that a 5 person board gets to screw millions of people out of healthcare plans that are perfectly fine and are their perfered choice. I really hate boards that are appointed and not elected as there is no recourse for bad behavior.
Screw people out of healthcare? How do you figure?
For one, insurance companies have been canceling policies and moving people into higher priced, higher deductible plans for years now. I’ve been bumped 3 times in 10 years. This is not a new phenom.
The only difference is the new plans aren’t the overpriced junk with low annual or life payout limits with $6k annual deductibles or worse. They have to meet new, higher standards of the ACA.
You may be perfectly fine with your garbage policy, right up until the day you need it.
It’s a fact that many who have taken the time to explore the exchanges have found they can buy better coverage for less money. You should try it.
The people advocating repeal(yup, looking at you voter925) are advocating to keep people away from access to affordable healthcare. They aren’t bright enough to understand that emergency room care those folks are forced into costs all of us in higher policy costs.
Save a nickel now and blow a dollar later. That’s dumb.
Of course they don’t want to extend it, they are hell bend on ensuring a program is successful when it really will be a failure as we are all funding those who don’t want to pay for it themselves. Vote out all the liberals next election so we can repeal this travesty.
What the Republicans and Tea Party nuts don’t understand is that when people begin to get coverage and actually have access to a doctor for cheap, they may go and get healthier quicker and reducing the need of an ER visit which is more expensive. In the long run, we have a healthier system which actually reduces premiums down the road. People are always afraid of what is new. Give it a chance.
Talk about Clueless Norma, geesh. When will people realize when give more to someone who is always is dependent on you, you have to take something away from someone else. There were and are only three things that are needed for true health reform. No cap in maximum pay out for a lifetime, No restrictions for insurance companies to cross state lines, and Big tax credits for following a healthy life style. The competition will fix the rest. What your getting now is your rights taken away by a mandated tax on unwanted and unneeded health care items. Birth control, Child premium until 26, Minimum payment/tax, and other waste. This is all so the part of society most dependent on government can continue to spend food stamps on big fat hamburgers, booze, cigarettes, and dope while in their free housing only to run to the hospital on public transportation because of such. The wealthy could care less. They will have private doctors because they can afford it. The middle class will be burdened even more by the wasteful dependent on government group. The result will be no middle class, only an upper and lower class. That equals Marxism and Socialism. They eventually fail as history has shown over and over again. So take that lying piece of crap and impeach him for his crimes before continues to run this country into the ground. No wonder they call California ” The welfare state “. It just keeps giving free stuff for votes.
ECVsBrother = Clueless
‘Nuff said.
@ECVsBrother you sound like a Fox News drone. Completely incapable of independent or critical thinking.
The cost of insurance was on a runaway path and out of reach of the poor and those with pre-existing conditions. Half of all Americans today make less than $26/yr. We have a healthcare system that expects them to cough up fully 1/4 of that income(and climbing) just to pay insurance premiums. That is unsustainable. That isn’t even moral in a civilized society. No other developed nation on the planet has such vulturous capitalism for such a necessity.
All that interstate commerce line of crap does it make it even easier for the insurance companies to rip you off. They would set up shop in the state with the most favorable laws in their favor and the ones that work against you. It’s a bogus solution. Companies like United Health or Humana have no problem setting up shop in whatever of the 50 states they want to do business in today.
But I’m willing to admit I’m wrong. Just as soon as you point out to us which mythical state in these United States has that wonderfully cheap health insurance that you want everyone to have access to.
I’m surprised you didn’t use the tort reform line of crap while you were at it. Texas already has it. Texas also has one of, if not the highest uninsured rates in the country. Including over 800,000 uninsured children. That’s your vision for all of America?
Your comments on food stamps are both clueless and racist. Food stamps provide less than $5 per day to people with access. Tell us or show us who is buying booze, cigs and dope on that kind of money. You can’t. Because all you’re doing is repeating the lies that someone fed you in some bullsheet divide and conquer campaign you heard on the “news”.
In your idiotic stupor you failed to notice that California is on it’s best financial footing in well over a decade. That’s after we eliminated the obstructionist GOP contingent and brought in a token tax revenue measure.
So much for your theories. Your every man for himself mentality is not what this country was founded on or what made it great. You are certainly entitled to it. Just as I’m entitled to be disgusted by hearing it.
For your historical footnotes, you left out the fact that Democracy as we do it is only a little over 200 year old experiment. Miniscule in the history of man. Right now based on the income inequality that exists in this country I’d say it’s not doing so good. It’s that income inequality that has brought down far more empires in history. Obviously you need some remedial study on that as well.
Finally, for the love of God would you stop railing on socialism. You obviously don’t have a clue what it means and you’re apparently incapable of even looking it up with a google search.
Here is a free Clue,
Please carefully read the last sentence after you choke on the rest.
Capitalism and socialism are somewhat opposing schools of thought in economics. The central arguments in the socialism/capitalism debate are about economic equality and the role of government: socialists believe economic inequality is bad for society and the government is responsible for reducing it via programs that benefit the poor. e.g. free public education, free or subsidized healthcare, social security for the elderly, higher taxes on the rich. On the other hand, capitalists believe that government does not use economic resources as efficiently as private enterprise and therefore society is better off with the free market determining economic winners and losers.
The U.S. is widely considered the bastion of capitalism and large parts of Scandinavia and Western Europe are socialist democracies. However, the truth is every developed country has some programs that are socialist.
An extreme form of socialism is communism
So I conclude you are a Communist and I am a Capitalist. I can agree with you on that.
@ Buy a Clue,
I wouldn’t waste another keystroke on ECVsbrother. He is neither a Capitalist, Socialist, or Communist. I think at this point we know exactly what (and who) he is.
A small ball of a man, wrapped up in denial, frustration, stupidity–capped off with an unhealthy amount of jealousy. This combination of undesirable character flaws is why he cannot come to grips that he is the odd man out all of the time. You would think that because he is irrelevant he would have got a clue by now. However his low IQ prevents him from self analyzing his shortcomings. His attitude is reflective of just how many times he has been kicked to the curb. His profile is text book of that of a misfit.
I mean let’s face reality. He can’t even come up with an original moniker most of the time. Quite pathetic.
I think we can all enjoy the fact that he is a prisoner of his own small brain and gianormous forehead. Read his posts–he can’t comprehend society, economics, politics and more importantly comment sense. He is screwed and he knows it. Need I say more?
@ECVsBrother, were you shooting for the plagiarizing dumbass look? Is Rand Paul one of your heroes? Because you seem to have the same problem he does.
Here’s your post word for word:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Capitalism_vs_Socialism
As I stated previously, unable to think for yourself. Why don’t you hop on over to the TV. You can probably catch a Sean Hannity rerun and he can spoon feed you some more garbage and you can come back to tell us how the world works.
@ Buy a Clue,
Like others have said, don’t even waste your time on ECVs Brother …. You bring up some very good points in most of your blogs (whatever you want to call these things), and trying to convince people who think like ECVs Brother is like trying to convince a brick wall it is a soft fluffy mattress.
@ECVs Brother,
Go back in the bar and have another drink .. okay ???
Obama was popularly elected the first time because (among other things) of the promise of affordable health insurance for all. I have been personally waiting to have affordable health insurance because of a “preexisting condition” that I have never had health issues from that excluded me from a health insurance policy that I could afford. I have gone years without health insurance because the only insurance I could get cost so much and had such high deductibles that it wasn’t worth it.
In my opinion, the current “Obamacare” is not what was originally envisioned. It is a result of the republican party, insurance companies and others modifying it in to something else. I am disappointed that it is what it is BUT still I am pleased that I will be able to get a health insurance policy that while still more than I was hoping to pay will allow me to go to the doctor for preventive care and I won’t have to be afraid of developing an illness (at least financially).
It concerns me when I hear about folks getting cancelled policies and/or their policies going way up. My question to those folks is have you gone on to Covered California to see if something similar to your current policy is available at a lower price? I do not want my ability to access affordable health care to come at a burden to others.
I can’t prove it but it is my feeling that the insurance companies are finding a way to stick it to the consumer any way they can in order to have to cover those they excluded forever. Another thought to those that have had the insurance companies raise their prices on them, the insurance companies for years have cut off people when they were sick and most needed their insurance. Obamacare stops them from being able to do that to people so perhaps the policy you had got jacked up because the insurance companies anticipate not being able to get away with denying care or cancelling coverage on sick folks. Just a thought.
Cathy,
You raise some very good points. Many people with existing comfortable health care at a reasonable price are being cancelled due to Obamacare. No more favorite trusting doctor. You will get what is issued to you and pay as you are told. If not we will fine you and send the IRS after you.It is not right nor just to people in a free democratic society to be dictated to. People are being denied the right to choose what is best for themselves. This type of thing only happens in a two tier society of which we are headed. Socialism or Communism they have been tested over time and have failed. This is why we have 11 million illegals ( actually 30 million by other sources) in the U.S.. They are leaving those regimes. At the rate we are going there will only be the haves and the have not. There will be no in between and no more rights as they will be decided for you by the government. Either you will be a member of the government or become a peasant. Look around you. One third of this country is on some sort of public assistance. When the middle class is gone to pay for government over spending, unwanted choices will be forced upon us. Affordable care can be achieved in many ways without removing our rights as citizens. Obamacare is the biggest mistake of our generation. Repeal it now and get rid of the liars that promoted it before its too late.
@No need to buy a clue
In other words, you still don’t know what socialism is………..or communism. So you play little word games for a distraction. Still waiting for you to man up and explain all those “better ways” to affordable healthcare. With supporting logic or qualified studies, of course.
I will say it again for the slow ones(you). Healthcare plans were being canceled long before Obama was even known on the national scene and well before he took office. To say they are exclusively a result of Obamacare is a flat out lie. The belief that insurance companies are the good guys here and the government are the bad guys forcing them to be mean to you is a joke. But the paranoid fall for it every time.
This “IRS after you” stuff with regard to healthcare. Another funny one the rubes(you) continue to fall for. You see if you had actually read the law or even a summary of it or any number of articles written about it you would have known about this section, found on page 131 of the law:
‘‘(A) WAIVER OF CRIMINAL PENALTIES
.—In the case of
any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay any penalty imposed
by this section, such taxpayer shall not be subject to any
criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure.
‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS ON LIENS AND LEVIES
.—The Secretary
shall not—
‘‘(i) file notice of lien with respect to any property
of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the
penalty imposed by this section, or
‘‘(ii) levy on any such property with respect to
such failure.’’.
But don’t bore yourself with the facts. Instead, go back to watching Fox News or maybe a little Glenn Beck for the really delusional so you can get bullsheeted once again about reality. The reason they fight so aggressively against Obamacare is, because like Social Security(an earned benefit, not an entitlement) and Medicare(also an earned benefit) is that once the American public realizes what at improvement it is to their lives, all those people in the GOP and Tea Party who have and continue to lie to you are going to be exposed. You can’t as easily manipulate an informed public.
By the by, as of August of 2012 Mexico has universal healthcare. It’s much cheaper than US healthcare, as good a quality(US trained doctors) and there are many, many programs now that are shuffling people to Mexico for major procedures to escape the overpriced vulture system that we have here. Much like they bus the seniors to Canada for cheaper prescriptions. So you go right ahead with that belief that we have the best healthcare in the world. The life expectancy and infant mortality rates of the US won’t support that lie, but the zealot rubes(you) will still buy into it. If you really want to set your hair on fire, you’ll be pleased to know that immigration from Mexico is DOWN since Obama took office. In fact, more Americans are moving to Mexico than vice versa: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/americans-immigrating-mexico_n_3984078.html
Keep believing in whatever it is that keeps you so angry and posting nonsense. We need the cheap entertainment here.
@ Buy a clue,
I’m sure he will post again once his shift manager at 7-11 gives him his required break. Who knows, maybe it’s his day off and mom and dad have left him alone with the computer on again. Either way, I’m sure we will hear from the mentL midget shortly. He just can’t seem to help himself.
@Dumb A
Buy a clue,
The IRS is running Obamacare. They will come after you if you do not comply. It has nothing to do with your BS junior law quotes. Mexico healthcare is not any where near the healthcare we already have here without Obamacare. Besides, if it was so good, California would not need a fence and border patrol to keep the millions of illegals from coming here. You are a total idiot to think more Americans are moving to Mexico. They may vacation down there but that’s about it. If Mexico and its healthcare are so good, hasta on down there. You should move there. Take my half brain brother with you. One or two less socialist to deal with is always good for America. It is always easy to see if a law is good or bad. When the people who create the law exclude themselves you know its very bad.
@ ECV’s “BOTHER”‘
What’s wrong little halfwit? So frustrated that you can’t even spell your own made up name? That alone made my holiday a little brighter! (Another text book example of your 6 year old intellect).
You display even more frustration in your confused hypocrital rant. Since you are a transplant it is you that needs to go back to where you came from. East county would be forever grateful to be rid of you. I can’t find a single soul that speaks kind of you. “Confused and inept” are the two words that I always hear following conversations about you.
If the IRS is running Heathcare in your little tormented world then it’s time to loosen that tin foil hat of yours a few clicks.
Keep wallowing in your frustration, hypocrisy, and ignorance you jackwaggon. Your continued postings only galvenize the obvious and illustrate your stupidity for all to see.
Keep it coming dummy.
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