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The “grandfathered” rules have changed. Let the celebration begin! Ok, maybe not.
New information was released this week further detailing which companies can or can not remain grandfathered. This is an amendment to the interim final regulations that were issued on June 17, 2010 by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury.
This is the link to the thirty-five page summary.
This is the quick version of what changed: Businesses are now allowed to change insurance companies as long as nothing else substantially changes.
My posts of August 2nd and August 16th provided a quick list of requirements to retain your grandfathered status and how difficult that may prove to be. A key point of contention was that unions could change insurers, but small businesses and individuals could not, even if the insurance company left the market or made significant changes to its products. This amendment reverses that for businesses, but not for individuals. Heck, it’s a start.
The rules, this one, the set issued in June, and all future regulations, are subject to change or reversal. Long term planning is based purely on educated guesses.
The enforcement regulations and delineation of potential penalties will quickly follow.
My prediction: The forms, the cost to remain in compliance, and the penalties will all be far more expensive than simply opting out of private insurance for small business. Paying an annual “No Insurance” penalty (TAX) to the federal government will be cheaper and easier.
You are now up to date. This really is the blind leading the blind. No one really knows how this is going to play out. We are all guessing. Some of us may be better guessers than others, but no one really knows for sure. The recent election may have a real impact on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or it may not change a thing. That can be said of every variable. All we can do, as business owners, as employees, as health care consumers, is to pay attention and hope for the best.
It is time to review the process.
March 23, 2010 – Congress passed and the President signed a far-reaching piece of legislation that affects 1/6 of our economy and the health and well-being of every American.
June 17, 2010 – The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury issued rules that apply to all business and individual health insurance policies, RETROACTIVELY from March 23, 2010. The rules also allowed for Public Comment.
June 17, 2010 – Some businesses and individuals learned that the changes they have made, or have been forced to make, preclude grandfathering from the new regulations. Businesses enact new plans accordingly.
November 16, 2010 – New rules. You might have been grandfathered after all, but now that you have made other changes, you aren’t!
Sometime in the next three to six months – Final rules will be issued.
Next Steps:
* Compliance
* Enforcement
* Penalties
Once the rules are final, how will the government and your insurance company know that you are complying? My guess will be FORMS. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with the onerous 1099 requirements, is a printer’s dream. Clients are already asking if there will be notarized affidavits required to certify their status. Not yet, but that could be coming soon.
Change can be useful. Change can be difficult. Ill-conceived, disorganized, rushed change is bound to cause unnecessary stress. Yes, this really is the blind leading the blind, but we appear to be going around in circles and there isn’t a whole lot any of us can do about it. Relax. Concentrate on your business. This isn’t war. Bullets aren’t flying. We will get through this. Together.
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
National Greatness and David Brooks
Today’s Health Insurance Issues With Dave is being replaced by the latest New York Times column from David Brooks. The Title is National Greatness Agenda. It is, on the surface, more about politics than health care or health insurance. Dig deeper dear reader. If we are not more responsible, if we don’t get our government’s finances under control, none of these new government mandated and totally unfunded programs will survive.
As the health care debate reignites, it is time to once again demand transparency, accountability, and clear, definable goals.
We may all agree that we are a great nation, but are we willing to work towards National Greatness?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/opinion/12brooks.html?ref=davidbrooks
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
As the health care debate reignites, it is time to once again demand transparency, accountability, and clear, definable goals.
We may all agree that we are a great nation, but are we willing to work towards National Greatness?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/opinion/12brooks.html?ref=davidbrooks
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
OK. Now What?
Barry, my friend the CPA, is undoubtedly smiling. Barry formed a Tea Party of one, almost twenty years ago. His goal was to always have divided government. As long as the Democrats or Republicans were restrained, were kept from controlling both Houses of Congress and the Presidency, there would be some level of gridlock. Only the most important legislation could be passed. The moment either side had real power, all Hell broke loose. Last night was a good night for Barry and the many people who long for a smaller government.
This blog, however, is about health insurance and health care, not politics, so I will leave the list of winners and losers to others. Politics do play a huge role in how health care is delivered in this country and an even larger part in the foreseeable future. And health insurance, health care, and our system of entitlements had equally large roles in last night’s results. They are intertwined. The Republicans took the House last night. They almost captured the Senate. How will this impact health care?
The short answer may be “Not Too Much”.
President Obama came to office in the midst of a financial meltdown. He had three paths in front of him – a Crisis, a Disaster, and an Issue. He faced a divided country and had the chance to invest his political capital into only one. The Crisis was the economy and unemployment. The Disaster was Americans fighting and dying in two wars. The Issue was health care and specifically the uninsured and underinsured of our country. He chose the issue and spent the majority of his first two years and political good will pushing through an unpopular, poorly designed piece of legislation.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act succeeded in energizing the opposition. Even centrist Democrats and Republicans were outraged by this combination of government overreach and intellectual dishonesty. Democrats representing swing districts, like John Boccieri, were pressured into supporting a bill that almost single-handedly caused their defeat.
Republicans have campaigned against the PPACA. Some have implied, some have even promised, to repeal this legislation. Can this legislation, passed only seven and a half months ago, be reversed? And, more importantly, do the Republicans want to?
NO and NO.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is not going to be repealed or reversed anytime soon. Oh, I’m sure Speaker-designate John Boehner will run a bill through the House. It will be great political theater. And, it will be risk free. The legislation won’t get through the Senate, and even if it did, it would be vetoed by the President.
I sincerely doubt that the Republicans would want to repeal this legislation. This is a fundraising bonanza. Campaigning against PPACA is far more profitable than solving the problems that necessitated the law.
So, we have a bad bill and the real possibility that cynicism may rule the day. Plus, we have yet to mention the insurers who have already spent millions to comply with the new rules and regulations. I firmly believe that the insurers have devised a path to real success under a government run health plan where they provide supplementary coverages. The major insurance companies would then have no desire to repeal the law.
We are quickly approaching the next calendar triggers of the health care legislation. It is possible that the Republican lead House of Representatives, far more interested in extending the Bush era tax cuts than anything else, might tackle meaningful reform in early spring. In a yet to be exhibited act of political maturity, the House could even draft a bill to limit and refine the PPACA. Such legislation could be passed by the Senate and signed by the President. It is possible. I leave the question of probability to you.
We had a major governmental change last night, a massive swing from the left to the right. What has changed in regards to the delivery of health care, the affordability of health insurance and the access to needed medical care? Alas, not much.
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
This blog, however, is about health insurance and health care, not politics, so I will leave the list of winners and losers to others. Politics do play a huge role in how health care is delivered in this country and an even larger part in the foreseeable future. And health insurance, health care, and our system of entitlements had equally large roles in last night’s results. They are intertwined. The Republicans took the House last night. They almost captured the Senate. How will this impact health care?
The short answer may be “Not Too Much”.
President Obama came to office in the midst of a financial meltdown. He had three paths in front of him – a Crisis, a Disaster, and an Issue. He faced a divided country and had the chance to invest his political capital into only one. The Crisis was the economy and unemployment. The Disaster was Americans fighting and dying in two wars. The Issue was health care and specifically the uninsured and underinsured of our country. He chose the issue and spent the majority of his first two years and political good will pushing through an unpopular, poorly designed piece of legislation.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act succeeded in energizing the opposition. Even centrist Democrats and Republicans were outraged by this combination of government overreach and intellectual dishonesty. Democrats representing swing districts, like John Boccieri, were pressured into supporting a bill that almost single-handedly caused their defeat.
Republicans have campaigned against the PPACA. Some have implied, some have even promised, to repeal this legislation. Can this legislation, passed only seven and a half months ago, be reversed? And, more importantly, do the Republicans want to?
NO and NO.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is not going to be repealed or reversed anytime soon. Oh, I’m sure Speaker-designate John Boehner will run a bill through the House. It will be great political theater. And, it will be risk free. The legislation won’t get through the Senate, and even if it did, it would be vetoed by the President.
I sincerely doubt that the Republicans would want to repeal this legislation. This is a fundraising bonanza. Campaigning against PPACA is far more profitable than solving the problems that necessitated the law.
So, we have a bad bill and the real possibility that cynicism may rule the day. Plus, we have yet to mention the insurers who have already spent millions to comply with the new rules and regulations. I firmly believe that the insurers have devised a path to real success under a government run health plan where they provide supplementary coverages. The major insurance companies would then have no desire to repeal the law.
We are quickly approaching the next calendar triggers of the health care legislation. It is possible that the Republican lead House of Representatives, far more interested in extending the Bush era tax cuts than anything else, might tackle meaningful reform in early spring. In a yet to be exhibited act of political maturity, the House could even draft a bill to limit and refine the PPACA. Such legislation could be passed by the Senate and signed by the President. It is possible. I leave the question of probability to you.
We had a major governmental change last night, a massive swing from the left to the right. What has changed in regards to the delivery of health care, the affordability of health insurance and the access to needed medical care? Alas, not much.
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
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