Wednesday, March 31, 2010

What We Really Meant Was . . .

You would think that folks who went to law school, and even though they never really held a real job, would know how to say what they meant when it comes to writing a law that impacts 340 million people or so.

But apparently that is not the case.

CNN is reporting that the health insurance industry has beat their swords into plowshares are are now bowing before the Great Wizards of Obamaland.

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the president of America's Health Insurance Plans -- Karen Ignagni -- said the nation's insurance companies would not try to find loopholes in the new health care law.

Sebelius had sent a letter to Ignagni on Monday warning against any efforts by health insurers to avoid the new law's intent to halt the industry practice of denying coverage for children with pre-existing conditions.


Loopholes.

Seems to me if the law had been written to include language to reflect the intent there would be no need for HHS Sebelius to come back and write an addendum.

Apparently her years as insurance commissioner were spent in a fog.

The provision involving coverage for kids takes effect on September 23, six months after Obama signed the bill into law, Sebelius said.


Now the game is going to get interesting.

How much will rates for children rise for policies effective after 9/23/10? Will it be 100%? Or maybe 300%?

Will the respective state departments of insurance be able to comply with that deadline in time to grant the new rate increases or will carriers simply stop writing plans that cover children after 9/23?

Let's watch the folks in DC start to squirm on this one.
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