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BluegrassStateBlues

(881 posts) Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:28 PM Oct 2013

Story about Obama knowing your health care policy would get cancelled DEBUNKED

The NBC News investigations unit is reporting that “50 to 75 percent of the 14 million consumers who buy their insurance individually can expect to receive a ‘cancellation’ letter or the equivalent over the next year because their existing policies don’t meet the standards mandated by the new health care law” — a fact administration officials knew but kept from the public.

The debate was widely covered in the press, so it’s unclear what exactly the NBC investigation unit has uncovered.

The goal of grandfather regulations is to allow a consumer to keep their existing policies, while also ensuring that there are some basic patient protections built into these plans. If insurers make changes that significantly burden enrollees with lower benefits and increased costs they have to come into compliance with all consumer protections. Therefore, policies lose their grandfathered status if insurers cancel coverage when a person becomes ill, impose lifetime limits on benefits, eliminate all benefits for a particular condition and reduce the cap for covered services each year, among other changes. (In fact, in November of 2010, the federal government loosened some of these standards.)

So yes, individuals can keep the plans they have if those plans remain largely the same. But individuals receiving cancellation notices will have a choice of enrolling in subsidized insurance in the exchanges and will probably end up paying less for more coverage. Those who don’t qualify for the tax credits will be paying more for comprehensive insurance that will be there for them when they become sick (and could actually end up spending less for health care since more services will now be covered). They will also no longer be part of a system in which the young and healthy are offered cheap insurance premiums because their sick neighbors are priced out or denied coverage. That, after all, is the whole point of reform.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/28/2850061/wrong-story-obama-knowing-health-care-policy-cancelled/

6 replies

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Story about Obama knowing your health care policy would get cancelled DEBUNKED (Original Post) BluegrassStateBlues Oct 2013 OP

Thanks. Scurrilous Oct 2013 #1

This message was self-deleted by its author lostincalifornia Oct 2013 #2

Untrue. In the example you cited, the couple could keep their plan if it remained largely the same. okaawhatever Oct 2013 #5

How true! The problem is, the people who received the napi21 Oct 2013 #3

+1 uponit7771 Oct 2013 #4

"Give me crummy insurance Proud Liberal Dem Oct 2013 #6

Scurrilous

(38,687 posts)

1. Thanks.

Reply to BluegrassStateBlues (Original post)

Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:31 PM

Oct 2013

Response to BluegrassStateBlues (Original post)

lostincalifornia This message was self-deleted by its author.

okaawhatever

(9,479 posts)

5. Untrue. In the example you cited, the couple could keep their plan if it remained largely the same.

Reply to lostincalifornia (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:55 PM

Oct 2013

The only requirement for the ACA with grandfathered plans is that they remain "largely the same". So if their insurance company kept the plan "largely the same" they could keep it. I think the insurance companies are using this opportunity to do what makes them more money knowing the ACA will be to blame. The question is, why isn't their old plan being offered?

Also, I got a quote for Anthem Blue Cross. I used my old zip code in San Bernadino. For two people age 48 and 49 (my age) the premium is $572.
First, someone with catastrophic coverage only would have to have zero medical expenses to compare the two plans dollar for dollar. If they have wellness visits, prescriptions, or any doctors visits, the cost would have to be reduced from monthly premiums.
Second, they would have to receive zero back at the years end. Last year, many got checks back.

Let's stop comparing apples to oranges. If one is going to compare, why not compare catastrophic coverage for the young as provided in Obamacare. If not, look at the medical expenses of the previous year. Not everyone will do better this way, if someone wants to use a bad story, make it a real one.

napi21

(45,806 posts)

3. How true! The problem is, the people who received the

Reply to BluegrassStateBlues (Original post)

Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:41 PM

Oct 2013

cancellations don't believe it's to improve their coverage. All they hear from the ins. co's is "It's because of ObamaCare. It IS because of Obamacsare, but the full story is that the coverage they had was poor and the co. can't get away with selling it any longer.

My doggies vet had her policy canceled because of this, but all she sees when she talks about it is "OBAMA!" I figured I'd wait until the web site was more or less fixed, and then talk to her about checking there. She's in business for herself, and has no employees. Sometimes she's very busy, and sometimes not so much, so cost is a big problem for her. I really believe she'll be able to find an affordable policy (even though we live in GA) but she, like 99% of the people here, is a Pub, so I have to step carefully.

uponit7771

(90,380 posts)

4. +1

Reply to BluegrassStateBlues (Original post)

Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:47 PM

Oct 2013

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,473 posts)

6. "Give me crummy insurance

Reply to BluegrassStateBlues (Original post)

Mon Oct 28, 2013, 09:59 PM

Oct 2013

or give me death!!!!"- updated for 2013

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