Archive

September 26th, 2011

Grandfathered Plans Partially Exempted from Under 26 Coverage in 2014

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Grandfathered health insurance plans have a partial exemption from Obamacare's under 26 coverage rule--but not until 2014! Read more »

September 8th

Gliltches Put Tax Credits & Health Insurance Exchanges at Risk

Glitches in the Obamacare Statute endanger both the ability of Federal Health Insurance Exchanges to receive start up funding and its ability to give out health insurance tax credits. Read more »

August 30th

Multi-State Plans May Wreak Havoc on State Health Insurance Markets

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Obamacare requires the Office of Personnel Management to create at least two Multi-State health insurance plans to compete with health insurance plans offered in state Health Insurance Exchanges. But state insurance commissioners are now warning the Obama Administration of the adverse effects the Multi-State plans may have on state health insurance markets. Read more »

August 25th

Obamacare Rent Seeking: Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Plastic Surgeons, and Others Lobbying to be Defined “Essential”

HHS commissioned the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Science to recommend “the criteria and methods for determining and updating the essential health benefits package.” The IOM, as part of their determination process has invited comments from the public.

We obtained copies of all comments submitted to IOM online, and here's what we've found. Read more »

August 22nd

Has HHS Opened its Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines to Lawsuit?

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) may be used by religious organizations in their fight against recent Obamacare guidelines that would force employers to offer contraceptives in their employee health plans without any copays (or the like). This would include contraceptives that many religious organizations believe to induce abortions. Read more »

August 11th

Menu Labeling Regulations

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed regulations to implement Section 4205 of the Obamacare statute which requires restaurants and vending machine operators to disclose the calories contained in foods offered for sale. These disclosure requirements apply to restaurants with 20 or more locations and vending machine operators with 20 or more machines. Read more »

HHS expects one-third of loans to consumer-run insurance plans to default

On July 18, 2011, the Obama Administration released a new proposed regulation that will help establish the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program. The CO-OP program, part of the Obamacare statute, will give out up to $3.8 billion dollars in loans to establish non-profit health insurance plans. HHS expects the new CO-OPs to “both improve health outcomes and to lower health costs.”

The Obama Administration’s initial estimate of the percent of loans expected to be repaid, however, suggests waste and not savings. Of the $3.8 billion dollars in loans to assist CO-OPs, HHS expects 30-35% to default. Read more »

August 1st

HHS Regulation to Require Insurers to Offer Free Contraceptives

Today, the Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, issued controversial guidelines that declare certain health services for women to be “preventive services.” With this designation new health insurance plans (those plans not in existence when Obamacare was passed on March 23, 2010) issued one year from today will have to provide these services for free to their beneficiaries.

HRSA’s guidelines are controversial because they include “[a]ll Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity.” This includes so called “emergency ” or “Plan B” contraceptives which are used after fertilization. Read more »

June 28th

Forced Lower Premiums Force Insurers out of the Market

Proponents of Obamacare have touted the success of its rate review requirements in forcing insurers to lower their premium increases. But says Dr. Scott Harrington, ". . . I don't think we can look at anecdotes for what happened in Massachusetts, for example, because in the short run companies will take a rate increase less than the actual rate of projection if the alternative is enormous legal fees, chaos, or having to leave a marketplace." Read more »

June 27th

Even Obama “Rations” His Own Health Care

Earlier this month, the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy & Commerce Committee held two hearings to review the regulatory burden of Obamacare and its impact on businesses and jobs.

Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX) opened up the second of the two hearings with an interesting story about how President Obama, during his campaign for the presidency, declined a prescription once cost became an issue. Read more »