Trump Administration Scales Back Obamacare Options For Small Biz

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By TIERNEY SNEED Published MAY 16, 2017 9:39 AM

Small businesses will no longer be able to use a platform on the HealthCare.gov Obamacare exchanges to offer their employees insurance plans, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The move to scale back the enrollment portal, known as the Small Business Health Options Program (or SHOP), has minimal practical import — it was used by some 8,000 employers to cover a cumulative 40,000 employees, according to the Journal — but symbolically it represents the Health and Human Service Department’s efforts to wind down certain administrative aspects of Obamacare, while Republican lawmakers seek to repeal parts of the law.

The roll back of the SHOP exchanges was announced by the Trump administration Monday in a statement in which Seema Verma, the director of Centers for Medicare/Medicaid, said that the “goal is to reduce ACA burdens on consumers and small businesses and make it easier for them to purchase coverage.”

The enrollment portal was originally created to allow workers at businesses with 50 employees or less to shop around for plans while using the contributions of their employers. According to the Journal, the platform was not utilized widely because the tax credits the ACA offered small businesses were not large enough to bring them to the exchange. Many employers sought to use private brokers to find plans instead, and under the new policy, they will still be able to use their tax credits when seeking plans through brokers.

Read more: Link to source

[dalton99a]

1. Tom Price is trying to kill Obamacare every which way he can

[pangaia]

2. basically the same behavior or ronald the fucker reagan in regards to education..

[uppityperson]

3. K&R for broader exposure

[neohippie]

4. I wonder if this somehow benefit's the Kushner's healthcare business Oscar

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/11/oscar-health-insurance-start-up-still-bleeding-money

Oscar, which is built on the back of the Obamacare exchanges that Donald Trump has threatened to destroy, is well-funded and can weather the losses, investors tell Bloomberg. In February, the company raised a $400 million round of funding at a $2.7 billion valuation. “From the start, Oscar’s mission was to build an end-to-end healthcare system that is designed to put the needs of consumers first, and one that optimizes for affordability and quality of care,” an Oscar spokesperson told Vanity Fair. “Our commitment has required meaningful, up-front investments as we put the necessary building blocks in place that positions Oscar for long-term success. As we head into the new year, we’re excited to expand our product offering and continue to build smart solutions that drive cost efficiencies.”

snip...



While Oscar announced plans this summer to withdraw from Dallas and New Jersey, following substantial multi-million dollar losses in those markets, Kushner’s company will continue to operate in Los Angeles, New York, and San Antonio, and the company is planning to launch in San Francisco next year. Oscar also plans to focus on narrow networks and roll out plans to small and large businesses, moving away from individual health-insurance plans typically covered by Affordable Care Act. Still, the insurance markets are volatile, and bigger players than Oscar have been forced to scale back.

[iluvtennis]

5. An educate me question - How can Trump admin do this given that their AHCA hasn't been approved by..

...both houses of congress?

What a bunch of asswipes the rethugs are.