Agravan
08-13-2013, 09:06 AM
August 13, 2013 Another Obamacare requirement is 'disappeared' by the administrationRick Moran
Like Chilean leftists under Allende, there have been several requirements of Obamacare that have been "disappeared" by the administration. The employer mandate has been delayed a year - at least. There have been other requirements of the law that are technically impossible (http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/is-obamacare-in-trouble-20130404) to fulfill at this time.
And now we have another biggie - the unilateral removal of limits on yearly out of pocket health care costs that insurance companies could charge individuals and families.
The Hill: (http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/316747-administration-delays-obamacare-cap-on-out-of-pocket-costs)
The Obama administration has delayed a key provision in President Obama's healthcare reform law that would limit out-of-pocket insurance costs for consumers until 2015.
The cap, which includes deductibles and co-payments, was supposed to limit consumer costs to $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But administration officials have quietly delayed the requirement for some insurers, allowing them to set their own limits starting in 2014.
The delay has been outlined on the Labor Department's website since February, but went largely unnoticed.
The move is the latest setback in the administration's efforts to implement ObamaCare, the president's signature domestic achievement. Last month the administration decided to delay the law's employer mandate which forces large businesses to provide healthcare coverage or pay penalties.
An administration official defended the move to delay the cost caps, telling the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/us/a-limit-on-consumer-costs-is-delayed-in-health-care-law.html?hp) that insurance companies which used different computer systems and companies to administer coverage needed time to comply.
"We knew this was an important issue," the official said. "We had to balance the interests of consumers with the concerns of health plan sponsors and carriers, which told us that their computer systems were not set up to aggregate all of a person's out-of-pocket costs. They asked for more time to comply."
The delay on cost caps is sure to fuel GOP efforts to discredit and defund the president's healthcare law.
"Time to comply"? Obamacare has been the law of the land for three years - three years! What have these people been doing? Sure it's difficult to change a computer system. But couldn't they have started 2 years ago? Why are they suddenly running out of time?
Once again, we are faced with an executive override of clear, congressional intent. If the insurance companies aren't ready to comply with the law then fine them, shut them down, or delay Obamacare until they are able to obey the law. It's a no brainer - except that political and PR considerations are too pressing to obey the congress. Instead, actions of questionable constitutionality are taken by the executive branch who are picking and choosing what parts of the law to enfoce and who delayed much of the planning for implementation of Obamacare until after the 2012 elections.
The public is going to want answers to questions about the administration's actions in implementing this gargantuan law.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/08/another_obamacare_requirement_is_disappeared_by_th e_administration.html
Like Chilean leftists under Allende, there have been several requirements of Obamacare that have been "disappeared" by the administration. The employer mandate has been delayed a year - at least. There have been other requirements of the law that are technically impossible (http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/is-obamacare-in-trouble-20130404) to fulfill at this time.
And now we have another biggie - the unilateral removal of limits on yearly out of pocket health care costs that insurance companies could charge individuals and families.
The Hill: (http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/316747-administration-delays-obamacare-cap-on-out-of-pocket-costs)
The Obama administration has delayed a key provision in President Obama's healthcare reform law that would limit out-of-pocket insurance costs for consumers until 2015.
The cap, which includes deductibles and co-payments, was supposed to limit consumer costs to $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But administration officials have quietly delayed the requirement for some insurers, allowing them to set their own limits starting in 2014.
The delay has been outlined on the Labor Department's website since February, but went largely unnoticed.
The move is the latest setback in the administration's efforts to implement ObamaCare, the president's signature domestic achievement. Last month the administration decided to delay the law's employer mandate which forces large businesses to provide healthcare coverage or pay penalties.
An administration official defended the move to delay the cost caps, telling the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/us/a-limit-on-consumer-costs-is-delayed-in-health-care-law.html?hp) that insurance companies which used different computer systems and companies to administer coverage needed time to comply.
"We knew this was an important issue," the official said. "We had to balance the interests of consumers with the concerns of health plan sponsors and carriers, which told us that their computer systems were not set up to aggregate all of a person's out-of-pocket costs. They asked for more time to comply."
The delay on cost caps is sure to fuel GOP efforts to discredit and defund the president's healthcare law.
"Time to comply"? Obamacare has been the law of the land for three years - three years! What have these people been doing? Sure it's difficult to change a computer system. But couldn't they have started 2 years ago? Why are they suddenly running out of time?
Once again, we are faced with an executive override of clear, congressional intent. If the insurance companies aren't ready to comply with the law then fine them, shut them down, or delay Obamacare until they are able to obey the law. It's a no brainer - except that political and PR considerations are too pressing to obey the congress. Instead, actions of questionable constitutionality are taken by the executive branch who are picking and choosing what parts of the law to enfoce and who delayed much of the planning for implementation of Obamacare until after the 2012 elections.
The public is going to want answers to questions about the administration's actions in implementing this gargantuan law.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/08/another_obamacare_requirement_is_disappeared_by_th e_administration.html