Trajan
conscientia mille testes
so, the latest, an email from sebelius to congressional staff that made its way to the surface......when does the bill or plan, cease to be ...the plan? They have been kicking the can so hard it bares little resemblance to the 'can' they started kicking becasue almost everything below and the massages, "fixes" and what more the rules in the bill that have been changed, may never make it back....its become so convoluted, they know but keep hiding the fact they have no idea how they are going to get where they wanted this all to go....anyone remember this?
Retreat in Congress; The Catastrophic-Care Debacle - A special report.; How the New Medicare Law Fell on Hard Times in a Hurry - New York Times
so, anyway-
The following comes from an email from CMS that was forwarded straight from the Hill:
In an interim final rule issued today, HHS took the following steps:
· Requiring insurers to accept payment through December 31, 2013 for coverage beginning January 1, 2014
· Urging issuers to give consumers additional time to pay their first month’s premium and still have coverage beginning January 1, 2014
· Formalizing the previously announced decision giving individuals until December 23, 2013 to sign up for Marketplace health insurance coverage that would begin January 1
· Strongly 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.
Other ways the administration is working to provide consumers with a smooth transition to coverage include:
· Working with health insurers on options to smooth this transition, such as allowing people who come in after December 23 to get coverage starting January 1 or sooner than February 1;
· Working with insurers and consumers to make sure that they know whether their doctor or prescriptions are covered before they choose a plan, and how to get care they need during the transition (e.g., receiving a drug not covered by your plan if your doctor deems it medically necessary);
· Educating consumers who recently received cancellation notices about the possible option to extend their old policy or enroll in a new plan;
· Continuing outreach to consumers who began the application process through the Marketplace and experienced technical difficulties
To view the Interim Final Rule, visit: http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2013-29918_PI.pdf
Retreat in Congress; The Catastrophic-Care Debacle - A special report.; How the New Medicare Law Fell on Hard Times in a Hurry - New York Times
so, anyway-
The following comes from an email from CMS that was forwarded straight from the Hill:
In an interim final rule issued today, HHS took the following steps:
· Requiring insurers to accept payment through December 31, 2013 for coverage beginning January 1, 2014
· Urging issuers to give consumers additional time to pay their first month’s premium and still have coverage beginning January 1, 2014
· Formalizing the previously announced decision giving individuals until December 23, 2013 to sign up for Marketplace health insurance coverage that would begin January 1
· Strongly 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.
Other ways the administration is working to provide consumers with a smooth transition to coverage include:
· Working with health insurers on options to smooth this transition, such as allowing people who come in after December 23 to get coverage starting January 1 or sooner than February 1;
· Working with insurers and consumers to make sure that they know whether their doctor or prescriptions are covered before they choose a plan, and how to get care they need during the transition (e.g., receiving a drug not covered by your plan if your doctor deems it medically necessary);
· Educating consumers who recently received cancellation notices about the possible option to extend their old policy or enroll in a new plan;
· Continuing outreach to consumers who began the application process through the Marketplace and experienced technical difficulties
To view the Interim Final Rule, visit: http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2013-29918_PI.pdf
