U.S. Plans to Unveil New Insurance Options

[antigop]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/us/politics/us-plans-to-unveil-new-insurance-options.html

The Obama administration plans on Monday to announce scores of new health insurance options to be offered to consumers around the country by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and the United States Office of Personnel Management, the agency that arranges health benefits for federal employees, according to administration officials.

The options are part of a multistate insurance program that Congress authorized in 2010 to increase options for consumers shopping in the online insurance markets scheduled to open on Tuesday.

Congress conceived multistate plans as an alternative to a pure government-run insurance program — the “public option” championed by liberal Democrats and opposed by Republicans in 2009-10.

“The multistate program will help deliver choice and high-value health plans in the new marketplace, expanding quality, affordable options for uninsured Americans,” an administration official said.

The administration plans to unveil the program on Monday, the official said, even as Congress fights over the future of President Obama’s health care law, intended to provide coverage to more than 25 million people within three years.

[Schema Thing]

1. Boom lowered.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Recommended. (nt)

[BlueStreak]

3. This must really suck for the GOP Governors who thought they were getting over by opting out

of implementing their own exchanges. I never understood why the biggest critics couldn't figure out that they would lose even more control if they chose not to do their own exchanges. It appears that the national exchange has the ability to start listing a bunch of programs that aren't necessarily approved by commissioners from the individual states.

This is a power move for sure. And you can bet that Sibelius/Obama have put the squeeze on BCBS. "Tell us, how important is it to you to keep the Federal business you have? Very important, you say? So you won't mind sharpening the pencil to improve the offerings we are putting in the Exchanges then, will you?"

Things get very interesting this week. Remember, the only consistent reason the GOP has given for shutting down the government is to stop Obamacare. And the very same day they have to explain why they are doing that, millions of Americans will be visiting healthcare.gov and finding out that this is actually good stuff.

And it doesn't stop there. In some cases, the policies offered on the Exchanges will be better than what employers have been offering their employees. This could put pressure on employers to offer better plans, so the consequences reach farther than just the 45 million who have no insurance today.

[antigop]

4. How to find multistate nonprofit Obamacare insurance plan in your state

http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/multi-state-plan-program

[Hydra]

5. Thanks for the link

Luckily I'm covered through work because my state isn't getting it

[OhioChick]

6. K&R n/t

[Bill USA]

7. Great news. recommended!