Can you tell that it's an election year?
Via The New York Times -
As Obama administration officials put into place the first major wave of changes under the health care legislation, they have tried to defuse stiffening resistance — from companies like McDonald's and some insurers — by granting dozens of waivers to maintain even minimal coverage far below the new law's standards.
The waivers have been issued in the last several weeks as part of a broader strategic effort to stave off threats by some health insurers to abandon markets, drop out of the business altogether or refuse to sell certain policies.
Among those that administration officials hoped to mollify with waivers were some big insurers, some smaller employers and McDonald's, which went so far as to warn that the regulations could force it to strip workers of existing coverage.
At a time when the midterm elections are looming and Republicans have been vocal in campaigning against the law, reaction to the rollout has been closely watched.
To date, the administration has given about 30 insurers, employers and union plans, responsible for covering about one million people, one-year waivers on the new rules that phase out annual limits on coverage for limited-benefit plans, also known as "mini-meds." Applicants said their premiums would increase significantly, in some cases doubling or more.
These early exemptions offer the first signs of how the administration may tackle an even more difficult hurdle: the resistance from insurers and others against proposed regulations that will determine how much insurers spend on consumers' health care versus administrative overhead, a major cornerstone of the law.
Hmm, sounds like there's trouble in Paradise. Taking over one-sixth of the economy isn't turning out to be so easy.
David Whelan at Forbes asks the million dollar question:
What Does It Take To Get An ObamaCare Waiver?
Answer: Just ask.
It's hard to forget those rules that were supposed to kick in after health reform passed. One said HMOs would no longer be allowed to sell health plans, like the ones pushed on McDonald's workers, where only a small share of the money spent on premiums goes to doctors, drugs and hospitals.
The industry tried to fight the rules. It also moved activities that HMOs do in-house, like running nurse help lines and "wellness" programs, into the same category as getting surgery. (So a nurse who denies care by saying: "No, you may not go to the ER," is actually a health provider, according to the industry's convoluted maneuverings.)
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Here's a thought: If companies can so easily get waivers to keep selling insurance made illegal by ObamaCare, can individuals apply for waivers to avoid paying the $950 penalty for not buying the right insurance?
You can find a list of the exempted companies and groups here.
The biggest single waiver, for 351,000 people, was for the United Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund, a New York union providing coverage for city teachers. McDonald's insurance carrier, BCS Insurance, received a waiver to cover 115,000 enrollees.
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