Implementation Roundup: HHS Meets With State Officials On Exchanges; Regs Out Soon On ‘Unreasonable’ Insurance Rate Increases; Plan ‘B’ Options For The Individual Mandate
December 18, 2010 by Timothy Wilkes · Leave a Comment
News outlets report on various developments related to health overhaul implementation.
CQ HealthBeat: Meeting Suggests Many States May Delay Exchange Legislation Until 2012, Attendee Says The first of a two-day, closed-door, HHS meeting with representatives from 44 states suggested that in many cases states will delay passing laws to create health insurance exchanges until 2012, according to one attendee. … States have flexibility under the law to structure exchanges in different ways. HHS has urged that, if possible, they begin passing legislation in 2011 to get that process underway (Reichard, 12/16).
: New Insurance Rate Regulations Pending Highly anticipated regulations defining what constitutes “unreasonable” health insurance premium increases are expected any day now that federal regulators have sent them to the Office of Management and Budget for final review. Democrats’ health care reform law gives the federal government greater oversight of health insurance premium increases by requiring a review and justification of steep increases. The law requires health plans to publicly justify “unreasonable” rate hikes starting with 2010 plan years, and gives states power to shut health insurers out of state health insurance exchanges starting in 2014 (Millman, 12/16).
: Experts Ponder ‘Plan B’ Options For The Individual MandateReporting for , Joanne Kenen writes: “With Republicans vowing to dismantle the health law and courts wrestling with its constitutionality, some health policy experts are pondering a possible ‘Plan B’ in case the individual mandate – the requirement that everyone get health insurance starting in 2014 – is weakened or struck down” (Kenen, 12/16).
Similar Posts:
- Study: Some States Fall Short In Insurance Rate Reviews
- States Scrambling To Ensure They Comply With Health Reform Law
- Anthem Resubmits Smaller Health Premium Proposal After Consumer Outrage, State Finding of Major Errors; Shows Need for Rate Regulation Bill Now Before State Legislature
- Alabama Insurance Premium Hikes May Soon Come Under Federal Scrutiny
- Obama Administration Rolls Out Rule For Health Exchanges
