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VIP Member
She doesn't have the authority to "direct" private insurance companies to fulfill all these last minute, panicked requests!
The ACA IMPLOSION is VERY close!
Sebelius directs insurance companies to accept Obamacare premium payments up to Dec. 31 | AL.com
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ordered insurance companies to accept payment through Dec. 31 for Affordable Care Act coverage beginning on Jan. 1.
The Health and Human Services Secretary also formally extended the deadline for enrolling in coverage starting at the first of the year from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23.
Sebelius made the announcements this afternoon amid a number of other non-binding recommendations to "help the transition" for consumers buying health plans.
These two actions affect those wanting coverage on Jan. 1. The deadline for enrolling in a new plan on the health reform exchange is not until March 31, 2014. About 365,000 people have picked plans from the federal and state-run marketplaces or exchanges by the end of November in a process that started Oct. 1. More than 3,400 people have signed up in Alabama.
Although HHS officials did not express concern about enrollees making payments, ProPublica, the investigative website, on Wednesday quoted insurance industry consultants saying only between 5 and 15 percent of enrollees have made premium payments.
Besides invoking a federal rule to require insurers to accept payments through Dec. 31, HHS made several recommendations that were not requirements, including:
Giving consumers additional time after Dec. 31 to pay the first month's premium.
Giving consumers even more flexibility beyond Dec. 23 to sign up.
Giving people enrolled in the federal Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) the chance to extend their coverage through Jan. 31, 2014 if they haven't already selected a new plan. PCIP is a transitional bridge program that provides people with health conditions who could otherwise be shut out of the insurance market.
Encouraging insurers to treat out-of-network providers as in-network to ensure continuity of care for acute episodes or if the provider was listed in their plan's provider directory as of the date of an enrollee's enrollment.
Strongly encouraging insurers to refill prescriptions covered under previous plans during January.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, which is the predominant health plan provider in Alabama, did not immediately respond for a reaction.
The ACA IMPLOSION is VERY close!
Sebelius directs insurance companies to accept Obamacare premium payments up to Dec. 31 | AL.com
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ordered insurance companies to accept payment through Dec. 31 for Affordable Care Act coverage beginning on Jan. 1.
The Health and Human Services Secretary also formally extended the deadline for enrolling in coverage starting at the first of the year from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23.
Sebelius made the announcements this afternoon amid a number of other non-binding recommendations to "help the transition" for consumers buying health plans.
These two actions affect those wanting coverage on Jan. 1. The deadline for enrolling in a new plan on the health reform exchange is not until March 31, 2014. About 365,000 people have picked plans from the federal and state-run marketplaces or exchanges by the end of November in a process that started Oct. 1. More than 3,400 people have signed up in Alabama.
Although HHS officials did not express concern about enrollees making payments, ProPublica, the investigative website, on Wednesday quoted insurance industry consultants saying only between 5 and 15 percent of enrollees have made premium payments.
Besides invoking a federal rule to require insurers to accept payments through Dec. 31, HHS made several recommendations that were not requirements, including:
Giving consumers additional time after Dec. 31 to pay the first month's premium.
Giving consumers even more flexibility beyond Dec. 23 to sign up.
Giving people enrolled in the federal Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) the chance to extend their coverage through Jan. 31, 2014 if they haven't already selected a new plan. PCIP is a transitional bridge program that provides people with health conditions who could otherwise be shut out of the insurance market.
Encouraging insurers to treat out-of-network providers as in-network to ensure continuity of care for acute episodes or if the provider was listed in their plan's provider directory as of the date of an enrollee's enrollment.
Strongly encouraging insurers to refill prescriptions covered under previous plans during January.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, which is the predominant health plan provider in Alabama, did not immediately respond for a reaction.
