Sorry, You Still May Not Be Able To Keep Your Plan

[FarCenter]

Neither Upton's bill nor Obama's executive action would require insurers to bring back canceled plans and they often won't want to do so. Many insurers canceled plans because they were full of high-cost beneficiaries. In some circumstances, like with United Healthcare in California, they have exited the states' individual health insurance markets entirely. Even if Upton's bill became law, many insurers would choose not to bring back canceled plans.

In addition, plan restorations may be technically infeasible. Insurers have already sent out cancellation notices and configured their computers for the new plans. They are ready for Obamacare. To sell their old plans, insurers would have to receive permission from state insurance regulators. Industry sources told Politico yesterday that "it’s likely too late to undo the cancellation notices that already have gone out."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/sorry-you-still-may-not-be-able-to-keep-your-plan-2013-11

[cthulu2016]

1. Do we know whether canceled refers to the announcement, or the cancellation date?

Depending on the meaning in law, I doubt most of these canceled policies are actually canceled yet, in one sense of cancelld... if you see what I mean.

Well, this is what courts are for, I suppose.

[FarCenter]

4. Typically the cancellation date would be 12/31/13.

But the insurance companies have withdrawn the insurance plans and not applied with their state regulatory agencies to offer them in 2014. So they would have to go to the state commissions and apply to offer the plans in 2014 first, before they could consider withdrawing the cancellation letters.

[cthulu2016]

8. Hmmm... if it is continuation of existing coverage, do we know that

the insurer cannot do it more easily than that?

It is not a new product, in that case.

[FarCenter]

15. I think that they must get approval at least for 2014 premiums if they increase by >10%

And likely any company continuing policies is likely to anticipate that people with expensive medical needs will be sticking with their policies.

But I think that they also have to get approval for their Summary of Benefits and other plan documents.

Furthermore, for plans with lists of providers, they have to go out and sign up doctors, clinics, specialists, hospitals, etc. for the plan for 2014.

[tridim]

2. Poor, poor insurance companies.

You're mean for not letting us screw our customers as much as we wanted.

Fuck the insurance industry.

You can't comply? Then close up shop.

[Savannahmann]

3. Many are.

And the President just announced he was going to make sure that this was fixed. So now we're going to have another three or four months of The President Lied news stories every day. So what are the chances that we win the House and keep the Senate in November? While you're drinking your ice water in Hell you can calculate the odds.

[tridim]

6. The Repubicans shut down the government and threatened default

In order to help these asshole insurance companies screw their customers as much as possible.

I'll run my party against that clusterfuck any day.

[Savannahmann]

7. Really?

You want to run the Democratic Party and our image as liars and fools on Obamacare against the Republicans who will spend the next year pointing out that this is why they were fighting so hard to delay it, because the warnings were all there.

Yeah, you run on that platform, and the Republicans will have a sixty seat majority in the Senate.

[tridim]

12. Our party's image is not "liars and fools". Period.

On a related note, I smell Italian food.

[Savannahmann]

13. Do you honestly think that won't be the exact image after months of stories about us lying?

Do you really seriously believe that? We've been getting the crap kicked out of us about the President, and the Democratic Members of Congress lying about keeping your policy, and keeping your doctor. Now, the President went out and said that he was going to order it fixed, and you would be able to keep the policy, an order he can't give, and can't be obeyed.

Half the Senators up for re-election are trying to get their bill passed to fix this, even though those bills can't fix it either, for the same reasons that the President's order can't be obeyed.

So tell me again how we're going to avoid the image of liars, and fools, when we keep running out and making promises that we can't keep? At this point, if anyone in the Republican party has a sixth grade education, the smart move for them is to go ahead and pass the budget stuff now, and sit back and watch us drown in the news stories.

[tridim]

14. Yes, because our party is not made up of liars and fools.

You're thinking of the Republican party.

That smell is getting stronger.

[Demo_Chris]

16. Why not try and address what he actually said?

[FarCenter]

5. As noted in the OP, United Healthcare has closed up shop in California.

[FSogol]

10. Good riddance. Bring on the not-for-profit insurance groups. n/t

[mmonk]

9. The shoe is now on the foot of the insurers.

All Obama has to say now is, the law will be changed so you can keep it if your insurer will let you.

[ProSense]

11. Here's a

fuck you to the insurance companies:

Health insurers are not happy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/14/1255614/-Health-insurers-are-not-happy

I hope everyone who got those cancellations flock to the exchanges for a better policy after the proposal.

[Zen Democrat]

17. No one can force insurance companies to continue or discontinue plans. This isn't a dictatorship.

The RW is worried that Obama is a dictator, and now they want him to act like one? All BS.