Pipe Dreams for Next Year

[Yagents]

Exclude plans that price to break even or make a small profit.
Lower silver deductibles..........to make it more expensive (to the taxpayer)?
Smokers should be treated with fairness.
Tie enrollment period to tax filing deadline (I like this one)


Families USA urges changes for future ACA enrollment periods | Modern Healthcare

Extending future enrollment periods to align with tax-filing season, increasing funds for enrollment navigators and assisters, and excluding health plans with premiums that are too high are only a few of the 10 recommendations included in a new report released Tuesday by Families USA (PDF), a national healthcare consumer advocacy group.
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Other recommendations include calling on the federal government to ensure silver level plans being offered on health exchanges have low deductibles, and eliminating the 50% tobacco surcharge insurers can implement to health plans for smokers. Other suggestions relate to improving the enrollment process.
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Also recommended is the establishment of a "special enrollment opportunity" period next year that would run from Feb. 15—the scheduled deadline for the next open enrollment period—to April 15. The group feels such time would provide a chance for people to enroll after taxes have been filed to minimize the risk of incurring another penalty for not getting coverage by the end of the second enrollment period.

 

[GreenSky]

My pipe dream is that the idiots in DC read the Constitution. And that goes for the Supreme Court.

Rick

 

[sshafran]

My pipe dream is that the idiots in DC read the Constitution. And that goes for the Supreme Court.

Rick

Like they know how to read...

 

[timsip]

Maybe they can pony up the cash for their ideas..I mean afterall, since they are so adamant about everyone having affordable health insurance that doesn't cost much to use or own, they should have no problem with that expense, right?

The tax deadline idea might have some merit...have to think on that. Maybe OE runs from 4/15-6/15 where most people have their taxes done by then and instead of projecting income that is likely to not be accurate, subsidies are based on previous year's income. For those that file extensions can elect to have their subsidy based on most recent tax filing. It's no longer an advance, but at least it is based on a solid number and tax payers won't be hit with an unexpected clawback come tax time.

 

[RayNY]

Tim,

True pipe dream, that's far too logical for government to approve.

I would love to see the government make use of the thousands of licensed and experienced brokers across the country to advise Americans, instead of barely trained civil servants at a call center, or unlicensed navigators.

I'm just glad that exchange certification has a 5-year renewal. Wouldn't want to waste 2 days and a few hundred bux again this year.

 

[cadylou]

Maybe they can pony up the cash for their ideas..I mean afterall, since they are so adamant about everyone having affordable health insurance that doesn't cost much to use or own, they should have no problem with that expense, right?

The tax deadline idea might have some merit...have to think on that. Maybe OE runs from 4/15-6/15 where most people have their taxes done by then and instead of projecting income that is likely to not be accurate, subsidies are based on previous year's income. For those that file extensions can elect to have their subsidy based on most recent tax filing. It's no longer an advance, but at least it is based on a solid number and tax payers won't be hit with an unexpected clawback come tax time.

I agree totally with the timing of the OE described above. Otherwise, how will people ever keep track of what they're doing - projecting "hypothetical earnings" before they even understand if they owe clawback for the previous year? dumb . . . .

I don't think they should do away with the tobacco surcharge, but instead should add a surcharge for obesity. That is actually the driver of more long term disease that needs to be managed than tobacco use at this point and will definitely drive huge costs to cover disease management, drugs and ultimately other health complications resulting from weight. . . .just my opinion.

 

[RayNY]

If you rate on obesity, that's unfair to America. Our premiums would be the highest in the world!

Oh, wait....

 

[Yagents]

I agree totally with the timing of the OE described above. Otherwise, how will people ever keep track of what they're doing - projecting "hypothetical earnings" before they even understand if they owe clawback for the previous year? dumb . . . .

I don't think they should do away with the tobacco surcharge, but instead should add a surcharge for obesity. That is actually the driver of more long term disease that needs to be managed than tobacco use at this point and will definitely drive huge costs to cover disease management, drugs and ultimately other health complications resulting from weight. . . .just my opinion.

I guess we have to surcharge the "skinny" too. Nanny state is a nanny state.

Being skinny may be riskier for health than obesity, Canadian researchers suggest | National Post

 

[VolAgent]

I guess we have to surcharge the "skinny" too. Nanny state is a nanny state.

Being skinny may be riskier for health than obesity, Canadian researchers suggest | National Post

I heard being born is fatal. It seems all newborns eventually die.

 

[cadylou]

But this article says the skinny die sooner - therefore, less risk to a health insurance company vs. an obese person with a million chronic conditions living a long, long time & needing all sorts of medical care & maintenance drugs . . . .right? I guess life insurance companies would find the skinny & soon to die to be much more of a risk than a major medical provider . . . .