Major Health Care Reforms Take Effect January 1

[LuckyTheDog]

Will the Tea Partiers fight for the "right" of health insurance companies to spend more than 20% of premiums on salaries and overhead? Will they hold up signs saying "re-open the donut hole?" Somehow, I doubt it.

Starting Saturday, two of the new health care law's most significant reforms take effect -- or at least begin to take effect.

The first will dramatically clamp down on insurance industry waste, abuse, and excesses. Starting on New Year's Day, insurance companies will have to spend at least 80 percent of the revenues they receive from premiums on actual health care. Not on salaries or overhead.

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/major-health-care-reforms-take-effect-january-1.php?ref=fpa

[demosincebirth]

1. They will stay mum.

[LuckyTheDog]

3. This will be interesting

Campaigning to "repeal Obamacare" means campaigning to deny free annual checkups, screenings and other preventive care for seniors. Go ahead Tea Party, knock yourselves out. Let's see how popular that is.

[grahamhgreen]

2. I can see a team of industry lawyers arguing that all overhead is actual

health care.

[femmocrat]

4. They will look foolish trying to repeal "Obamacare".

Although, IMO the Obama administration needs to educate the public better on the beneficial provisions that are coming into effect.

If people genuinely understood the benefits, there would be less opposition and demagoguery about health care reform.

[ThomCat]

5. Until there is a regulatory agency overseeing them

and checking their books, this is all going to be the insurance companies telling all of us "trust us, we are in full compliance."

They are going to have a whole lot of accounting gimmicks and tricks available to control what is considered a health care dollar and what isn't, and to control how many times each dollar on their books gets counted as a health care dollar.

Does anyone really think this will be simple or straightforward?

Until there are some basic rules for what they have to consider health care dollars, and what they are absolutely not allowed to consider health care dollars, and until some of their tricks and evasions come to light and get barred and restricted, this is really just a symbolic achievement.

[eridani]

7. That is why attempted regulation by MLR has failed in 15 states

Other countries providing universal care through private insurance DICTATE a single comprehensive benefits package that must be available to everyone at a cost that is also dictated by the government. Insurers are allowed to offer supplemental coverage in addition.

In all developed countries with private insurance, it is strictly illegal to deny a claim for any reason.

[impik]

6. Kill the bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!