Just
around the corner lurks the implementation of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, more commonly called the ACA or "Obamacare,"
so naturally people want to know from Ito how much they'll be paying
for health insurance in the near future.
At the
earliest, people won't see that bottom line until Oct. 1, when the
Hawaii Health Connector, like other online insurance marketplaces
developed in states nationwide, is due to open for business under the
new federal law. And that will spell things out for individuals
and small businesses that are eligible for the online exchange, not for
people who get their insurance as most now do, through their
employer.
Employer
groups are still in discussions with insurance carriers about pricing
for benefit packages under the new rules, which may hinge more
directly on factors such as the age of the workers. But Ito does have
one clear message he offers, meanwhile.
"When
people ask about rates, the first thing I say is, ‘Don't shoot the
messenger!'" he said, drawing laughs from the attentive audience.
[7/2/13] The White House on Tuesday delayed for one year the new requirement under the Affordable Care Act that businesses provide health insurance to employees, a fresh setback for President Obama’s landmark health-care overhaul as it enters a critical phase.
The provision, commonly known as the employer mandate, calls for businesses with 50 or more workers to provide affordable quality insurance to workers or pay a $2,000 fine per employee. Business groups had objected to the provision, which now will take effect in January 2015.
[6/24/13 ] WASHINGTON (AP) - Fewer than 100 days before uninsured Americans can sign up for coverage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday the administration is gearing up with new call centers, a revamped website - and a confab with the National Football League.
No deals yet, Sebelius told reporters. But she said the idea of partnering to publicize the benefits of health insurance has gotten an enthusiastic reception from the NFL and other pro sports leagues.
Health promotion is a goal for the leagues and "good for the country," Sebelius said.
Football season would be in full swing Oct. 1, when consumers can start shopping for coverage under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Benefits take effect Jan. 1, around the time of the playoffs.
Opponents are looking for a goal-line fumble by the Obama administration as the long-awaited expansion of coverage for the uninsured finally happens. But if Sebelius is nervous, she doesn't let on.
"It's a huge undertaking across the country, and I'm confident we're going to get it done," she said. Not only sports leagues, but community organizations, religious denominations and public health groups will be involved with outreach.
Starting Oct. 1, consumers will be able to access new online marketplaces through HealthCare.gov and shop for private insurance plans in their communities. The federal government site will be the main portal to the new law, since about half the states are letting Washington run the coverage expansion.
Middle-class people who don't have job-based coverage will use the marketplace to apply for tax credits to help pay their premiums — a process that's supposed to take place smoothly and in close to real time, though skeptics doubt it. Low-income people will be steered to an expanded version of Medicaid in states that accept it.
All told, it's the biggest expansion of the social safety net since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid nearly 50 years ago. With polls showing that the law remains unpopular, and even many uninsured don't think they'll be helped, things are likely to get off to a slow start.
About 7 million people are expected to sign up for coverage in the new marketplaces next year, also called exchanges. That number is projected to more than triple in a few years.
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