EXCLUSIVE-U.S. delays deadline for finalizing Obamacare health plans

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

EXCLUSIVE-U.S. delays deadline for finalizing Obamacare health plans
Source: Reuters - Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:50 AM
Author: Reuters

* Agreements with companies put off for days or weeks

* Officials say launch still set for Oct. 1

* Technology issues said to be responsible

By David Morgan and Caroline Humer

WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The Obama administration has delayed a step crucial to the launch of the new healthcare law, the signing of final agreements with insurance plans to be sold on federal health insurance exchanges starting Oct. 1.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified insurance companies on Tuesday that it would not sign final agreements with the plans between Sept. 5 and 9, as originally anticipated, but would wait until mid-September instead, according to insurance industry sources.

Nevertheless, Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for HHS, said the department remains "on track to open" the marketplaces on time on Oct. 1.

The reason for the hold-up was unclear. Sources attributed it to technology problems involving the display of insurance products within the federal information technology system.
Peters said only that the government was responding to "feedback" from the companies, "providing additional flexibility and time to handle technical requests."


Read more: http://www.trust.org/item/20130828043839-7henz/?source=search

[Scootaloo]

1. Advances timetable for war, delays for health care

What the fuck is going on?

[markpkessinger]

2. I think they call it "hope & change" n/t

[Scootaloo]

3. Is that anything like bait and switch?

You go in hoping for something, only to find they've changed it for something else?

[markpkessinger]

4. It's the DLC version of bait and switch! n/t

[JoePhilly]

10. Startiing on Oct 1 as planned is a delay?

The bait and switch occurs in the title of the article.

[Politicub]

27. Sarah Palin, is that you?

Had no idea you were a DUer.

You outed yourself by deriding hope and change. Oh, Sarah.

[markpkessinger]

28. I never derided hope and change . . .

. . . until it became clear it was nothing but an empty campaign slogan. From a President I voted for TWICE.

[dragonlady]

18. Many states have opted out of setting up their exchanges

Just another way the Republicans have tried to cripple the Affordable Care Act. The federal government has had to step in and do all that work itself, so is it really surprising that the schedule would be set back just a little?

[Yo_Mama]

20. It should be way more efficient to have the federal government do it.

I don't think that is a factor at all.

[davidpdx]

5. I do know that hospitals have had to change over to a standardized program

for billing. My mom works in the billing department of a hospital and was telling me how backlogged they are. Apparently after several months of overtime they were able to finally catch up. I'm not sure about insurance companies. I used to know someone who worked at one.

[David__77]

6. As noted above: war is fast tracked by Obama, but health care (life and death) can wait.

There are some really fucked up priorities. Are they trying to destroy the Democratic Party?

[geek tragedy]

14. Yeah, because Obama totally doesn't care about

Obamacare.

[phleshdef]

21. Right, because a 1 week delay due to technical issues is TOTALLY destroying the Democratic party.

Do you folks even read before you type? And if so, do you bother to think about what you are typing?

[David__77]

22. Oh please, it's hardly just this. There have been YEAR-LONG delays.

Giving businesses another year, etc. This is life and death, and there is waiver and delay and waiver and delay. The point stands.

[phleshdef]

23. Not really. The point pretty much falls flat on its face and dies a horrible bloody death.

Less than 1% of the nation's large employers are getting the 1 year break.

It took 20 years before Social Security covered even just 90% of workers in this country.

The vast majority of the significant parts of the ACA have already gone into effect or are going into effect as planned. Medicaid expansion, the subsidies, pre-existing condition denial ban, the 80/20 rule, funding for thousands of free clinics, mandatory free preventative care, children staying on their parent's insurance, etc. Waiting another year for the business mandate does not negate all of that stuff, not even close. You are being very small minded about this.

And lets not pretend that the nature of your initial response to this thread insinuated that this one week delay on the final agreement is somehow significant and could "destroy the Democratic Party?"? Lets not pretend that you didn't just knee jerk react to a headline without reading anything about it.

[David__77]

24. My company got another year.

So screw the people that don't work for the largest companies then?

[phleshdef]

25. Well my company is too small to even offer health insurance...

I make a regular old 5 figure middle class salary so no subsidies for me.

There is very little in the ACA that will help me, other than the notion that the exchanges and influx of new customers might eventually drive my premiums down on the insurance that I have, which I buy completely on my own.

But its not about me. I can afford to buy my own insurance for me and my wife. It ain't the greatest. It cost a good chunk of monthly change, but I can manage to swing it. For me its about movement. There will undoubtedly be a significant number more people who don't have some kind of coverage who will have it by this time next year. No matter what you say, that's a wonderful thing.

I definitely care about the people who will still be left out. But I'm not so naïve that I expect 100% on day 1. Its a side effect of the human condition that we don't achieve perfection with instant gratification.

[David__77]

26. My company will comply anyway.

That's partly because I have some influence. Smaller companies should do so whenever they can, though I understand that competitiveness/uneven playing fields would make it hard to do. The 50 employee limit has got to go away at some point too.

I'm glad that you have a good alternative means to get insurance. It can be difficult. The benefits of even a very small group can be significant.

[Ash_F]

29. But could the point have been saved with prompt and adequate medical care? /nt

[BumRushDaShow]

7. "department remains "on track to open" the marketplaces on time on Oct. 1. "

And like the true RW Libertarians that they have become, DUers choose not to read, let alone try to comprehend.

[JoePhilly]

9. Exactly ... its the 2nd bullet in the freaking list.

[JoePhilly]

8. Talk about a misleading headline.

2nd bullet says ... "Officials say launch still set for Oct. 1"

So its delayed, but it will still start on Oct 1st, as planned.

This kind of stuff cracks me up.

[Yo_Mama]

19. The deadline that's been broken is one of a number

of preliminary deadlines related to finalizing and launching the exchanges,

And it looks like some of the states will be delayed on their exchanges, or may not have them open to the public on Oct 1st.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-health-insurance-enroll-20130823,0,6192676.story


If you don't have approved insurance plans, there is nothing to sell on the exchange. The explanation makes no sense to me, and I am a techie. Why should problems showing plans on a website change or delay a regulatory action such as this?

The computer testing deadline has been delayed as well.

[Puzzledtraveller]

11. Romneycare on the national stage delayed, again!

[JoePhilly]

12. Except its not delayed.

[Puzzledtraveller]

13. I know

Actually I'm a medicaid caseworker. I go to our training for HBE's next week. Personally I do not like the law. Professionally I will do what my role and the law requires of me.

[Nye Bevan]

15. Whoa. A delay from "between Sept. 5 and 9" all the way to "mid-September"?

That's really big news. Why is the MSM suppressing this story?

[Sunlei]

16. It took them 10 years? to roll in social security. moving pretty smooth for such a large CHANGE :)

[Safetykitten]

17. It's a LIE! LIES I tell you! This is republican talking points and lies.