GAO: Waivers issued to prevent premium increases

[Polk]

Quite true, Obama will not be up for reelection then, so he doesn't have to worry about explaining why everyone's premium skyrocketed.

He doesn't have to worry about it because it won't happen. The reason waivers are necessary right now are because some of the early deliverables (coverage to 26, children can't be denied for pre-existing conditions) would increase the cost of coverage in the absence of the individual mandate.

And the mandate will decrease those costs how?

Enlargement of the risk pool.

 

[Trajan]

He doesn't have to worry about it because it won't happen. The reason waivers are necessary right now are because some of the early deliverables (coverage to 26, children can't be denied for pre-existing conditions) would increase the cost of coverage in the absence of the individual mandate.

And the mandate will decrease those costs how?

Enlargement of the risk pool.

so why don't we just drop all state regs stopping cross state line plan purchasing?

 

[WillowTree]

 

[Quantum Windbag]

He doesn't have to worry about it because it won't happen. The reason waivers are necessary right now are because some of the early deliverables (coverage to 26, children can't be denied for pre-existing conditions) would increase the cost of coverage in the absence of the individual mandate.

And the mandate will decrease those costs how?

Enlargement of the risk pool.

You are assuming two things here.

1. That people will actually follow a law that they have been told will not be enforced.
2. That the fact that the penalty is much lower than the projected cost of insurance will not encourage people to ignore the mandate even if it is enforced.

Good luck with that.

​

 

[Polk]

And the mandate will decrease those costs how?

Enlargement of the risk pool.

so why don't we just drop all state regs stopping cross state line plan purchasing?

That doesn't necessarily enlarge the risk pool, and even if it does, it does so by setting all insurance to the standards of the state with the most insurer-friendly regulations.

 

[Polk]

And the mandate will decrease those costs how?

Enlargement of the risk pool.

You are assuming two things here.

1. That people will actually follow a law that they have been told will not be enforced.
2. That the fact that the penalty is much lower than the projected cost of insurance will not encourage people to ignore the mandate even if it is enforced.

Good luck with that.

​

You act like it's some bold leap. The penalties under the Massachusetts plan are about the same amount and have been effective at increasing the rate of insurance.

 

[boedicca]

No more waivers. The Obamanoids say that most groups who need them have already applied.

Larsen said no new applications for waivers will be considered after Sept. 22. Approvals or renewals received by the deadline will be good through 2013. Starting in 2014, the main coverage provisions of the health care law will take effect, and such waivers will no longer be needed.

The waivers address a provision of the law that phases out annual dollar limits on coverage by health insurance plans. Starting this year, plans could not impose a limit below $750,000. But some plans, offered mainly to low-income workers, currently provide $50,000 a year in coverage, and in certain cases much less.

Those plans would have been forced to close down or jack up premiums significantly, leaving more people uninsured.

The waivers were established to avoid disrupting existing coverage. In 2014, taxpayer-subsidized insurance will be available to most of the people now covered by the affected plans.

Some Republicans charged favoritism in the granting of the waivers, alleging that they were being granted to unions. But a review this week by the Government Accountability Office found that HHS had approved over 95 percent of the 1,400 waiver applications it received, most of them involving employer plans. The nonpartisan investigative agency also found that the administration used objective standards to make its decisions.

Larsen said Friday that insurance experts have advised his office that most plans that needed waivers probably already applied for them this year. For that reason, the effects of ending the program early would be negligible.


Obama Administration to End Health Care Waivers - FoxNews.com