30 Companies, Other Groups Escape New Health Care Rule for Now
Description
30 Companies, Other Groups Escape New Health Care Rule for Now The federal government has granted 30 companies and organizations one-year waivers to exempt them from one of the newly-implemented health care reforms. A set of consumer protections enacted in President Obama's health care overhaul kicked in last month, including a requirement for insurers to gradually phase out annual coverage limits. The waivers granted last month exempt the organizations in question from that requirement; they were approved for organizations offering limited-benefit plans, such as Jack in the Box and the United Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund (a New York-based union health care provider). The 30 entities granted waivers are listed here and listed below. The waivers were granted after insurers threatened to raise premiums dramatically or drop the limited-benefit plans all together rather than pay for the additional coverage. The exemptions apply to insurance plans for nearly a million people. Limited-benefit plans are often used to cover part-time or low-wage employees, and they often have low premiums and high deductibles. The Department of Health and Human Services opted to grant those entities waivers rather than allow consumers to lose coverage or see their premiums rise. "The waivers are about insuring people and protecting the coverage they have until there are better options available to them in 2014," White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said today. The bulk of the new health <b>...</b>
