Producers to Play Diminished Role in Exchanges

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Positive but it would be nice to see that at the top of the Individual health insurance page. Of course, each state will make the call.

 

[669comche]

Incorrect. Agent gets $50.

I knew it was something. But to all intents and purposes its nothing.

I know times are tough, but $50 is not worth the time or the effort as far as we are concerned.

 

[HealthGuy]

Uh, yea 669...Even if we are paid 100 bucks or even 150 to sell an exchange plan, lights out. Let some gov't worker sign em up. Not worth it.

 

[InsureGuy5]

The exchanges will be our biggest competition if and when they materialize. I'm still not sure how they will do much to control health care costs, but the dems seem more worried about insurance premiums than the actual cost of health care.

 

[Winter_123]

I'm surprised the States would give up the control it has by using non-licensed Navigators....

The feds and the state are following a model that they understand best: welfare and social assistance programs.

Thus, in Maine and elsewhere you already have a vast jungle of government funded "consumer assistants"/advoctates/whatever that are supposed to be guiding people through the system. Basically these are information sessions and personal assistants to help you enroll for medicaid and other benefits. Same thing in the medicare space. They fund the social service and seniors groups to have all thise "advisors/advocates/etc. who know more about medicare supplements than the evil insurance agents do. The feds and the states are not even remotely concerned that they are giving insurance advice without a license. In fact they are giving them more funding to do more of it. The strategy of the feds is to give unlimited funding to the states to help them go around insurance agents by enabling consumers to get help from the government or to fund and army of people to look for complaints and to educate people on why they should avoid insurance agents. That way Obama and company accomplish their goal by making it look like something the states are doing. So far his plan is working almost perfectly.

Since you mentioned Maine, to be more specific, the state has long funded the non profit group Consumers for Affordable Health Care to go around giving informaiton sessions and enrolling people in dirigo, medicaid etc or at least guiding them to it. And they fund the Area Agencies on Aging to do insurance advice to consumers without a license and particiapte in secret shopping and all of that. Now that several million dollars have just arrived at the state to do more of that, expect more of it. Plus a whole new agency program for the individual plans that are not medicaid or medicare related. They know how to do this stuff fairly well and are all fired up and ready to go.

The feds were just in Maine a couple weeks ago to participate in a love fest about Maine's leadership and success in health reform. Nevermind that we are broke and the system is broke. The game plan was always to hold on until it go mushed in with a fed plan so that the country can go broke along with us. Mission accomplished.

Nothing is going to happen after the election to turn this around. It is too far along. We can carry along with the dem plans and watch the system collapse and go into crisis mode. Or the republicans can limit funding for the dem plan and still watch the system collapse and we go into crisis mode. Either way, stage has been set for a sufficient collapse of the system over the next several years for the feds to complete the takeover. And of course, as discussed, a Canadian system is a step down from what we have but a step up from the collapsed, chaotic system that is unfolding now. Right on schedule.

Obama will continue to pump more and more money into the states to make this whole gig look like it is state-sponsored rather than a top down federal thing. And as you get more and more local voters hooked on the goodies then the support for it begins to look more like a state and grassroots support. And of course as the state budgets cause collapse in the states there are more and more opportunities to provide "assistance" to the states provided that they do X,Y and Z. Don't underestimate how well the feds, especially when the commies are in charge, can play this game. They are not out there worrying about unlicensed navigators.

Change you can believe in.

 

[HealthGuy]

Winter is dead on? Can anyone dispute his logic? Is the sky falling as he says? Any way to make a living post 2014 selling health insurance? Even if its only say 50% of your income? Will there be an opportunity selling a "supplement" to those under 65 like medicare supplements now?

 

[houcoogster]

I guess that pretty much explains why all these people from Maine and Mass are down here in Texas now. The socialists have killed all the jobs up there.

 

[Winter_123]

I guess that pretty much explains why all these people from Maine and Mass are down here in Texas now. The socialists have killed all the jobs up there.

Don't worry. It will all even out. The feds are adopting many of the socialist programs nationwide so the jobs will and are are being killed everywhere. Example, in the past you might leave Maine or Mass to get away from guaranteed issue/state run health insurance and go to Texas. Why bother now unless you think in short term horizons.

Tis all interesting though. Maine is about to elect Attila the Hun as governor. Problem is so much of the states business is run from Washington now (which is true of all states) , probably too late to make much difference.

Probably because the Constitution is a "living document" we might conclude that states are not really needed anymore anyway. Probably just Central Planning Districts would be more effecient, or maybe the current fed system of grouping programs into Region 1, 2, 10 etc will suffice. Don't know.

I like central planning if there is a lot of free stuff given out along the way. Free stuff is where it is at.

Change you can believe in.