Over 700 Waivers from HHS... So far

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FROM THE HHS WEBSITE.... 700 waivers? This reform must be GREAT!?!?!?!?

•Of all the waivers granted to date:
◦Employment-Based Coverage: The vast majority – 712 plans representing 97 percent of all waivers – were granted to health plans that are employment-related.
■Self-Insured Employer Plans Applicants: Employer-based health plans received most of the waivers – 359.
■Collectively-Bargained Employer-Based Plan Applicants: Most of the other health plans receiving waivers are multi-employer health funds created by a collective bargaining agreement between a union and two or more employers, pursuant to the Taft-Hartley Act. These “union plans” are employment based group health plans and operate for the sole benefit of workers. They tend to be larger than other typical group health plans because they cover multiple employers. There are also single-employer union plans that have received a waiver. In total, 182 collectively-bargained plans have received waivers.
■Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs): HRAs are employer-funded group health plans where employees are reimbursed tax-free for qualified medical expenses up to a maximum dollar amount for a coverage period. In total, HHS has approved 171 applications for waivers for HRAs.
◦Health Insurers: Sixteen waivers were granted to health insurers, which can apply for a waiver for multiple mini-med products sold to employers or individuals.
◦State Governments: Four waivers have gone to State governments. States may apply for a waiver of the restricted annual limits on behalf of issuers of state-mandated policies if state law required the policies to be offered by the issuers prior to September 23, 2010.
•The number of enrollees in plans with annual limits waivers is 2.1 million
 






FROM THE HHS WEBSITE.... 700 waivers? This reform must be GREAT!?!?!?!?

•Of all the waivers granted to date:
◦Employment-Based Coverage: The vast majority – 712 plans representing 97 percent of all waivers – were granted to health plans that are employment-related.
■Self-Insured Employer Plans Applicants: Employer-based health plans received most of the waivers – 359.
■Collectively-Bargained Employer-Based Plan Applicants: Most of the other health plans receiving waivers are multi-employer health funds created by a collective bargaining agreement between a union and two or more employers, pursuant to the Taft-Hartley Act. These “union plans” are employment based group health plans and operate for the sole benefit of workers. They tend to be larger than other typical group health plans because they cover multiple employers. There are also single-employer union plans that have received a waiver. In total, 182 collectively-bargained plans have received waivers.
■Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs): HRAs are employer-funded group health plans where employees are reimbursed tax-free for qualified medical expenses up to a maximum dollar amount for a coverage period. In total, HHS has approved 171 applications for waivers for HRAs.
◦Health Insurers: Sixteen waivers were granted to health insurers, which can apply for a waiver for multiple mini-med products sold to employers or individuals.
◦State Governments: Four waivers have gone to State governments. States may apply for a waiver of the restricted annual limits on behalf of issuers of state-mandated policies if state law required the policies to be offered by the issuers prior to September 23, 2010.
•The number of enrollees in plans with annual limits waivers is 2.1 million

If anyone is interested in the facts source.... Please click below:

http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html
 






The telling thing is that many of the folks who got waivers, or "get out of jail free" cards from the Obama Regime are those who wanted the Healthcare bill passed.

As usual, good enough for thee, but not for me.
 






If anyone is interested in the facts source.... Please click below:

http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html

Interesting that the HHS website doesn't mention the percentage of employment related healthcare insurance that is provided through unions.

In any event, the number of requests for waivers is now up to 915, most of which have been waivers to the maximum benefit extention. How can insurance companies know how much to charge for their coverage if the possible upside risk has no limits?

Unions faced with unlimited increase in insurance premiums for their members have only three choices: 1. They can bargain for higher employer payments to cover the cost, thus driving companies out of business; or 2. They can raise their union dues to cover the cost, thus pissing off their own membership, or 3. They can spend their political war chests on insurance premiums, and THEN resort to #1 or #2.

The only sane way to prevent catastrophe is to base charges on the worst possible scenario for every patient in the pool. This is just another insanity in the Obamacare bill. It may well have been a poison pill snuck in to intentionally destroy private insurers, thus making a P.O. the only possible alternative.

http://blog.heritage.org/?p=52124
 
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Interesting that the HHS website doesn't mention the percentage of employment related healthcare is provided through unions.

In any event, the number is now 915, most of which have been granted waivers to the maximum benefit extention. How can insurance companies know how much to charge for their coverage if the possible upside risk has no limits? The only sane way to prevent catastrophe is to base charges on the worst possible scenarion for every patient in the pool. This is just another insanity in the Obamacare bill. It may well have been a poison pill snuck in to intentionally destroy private insurers, thus making a P.O. the only possible alternative.

You are exactly correct... before socialism can take hold, government has to create a boogie-man. In this scenario, the boogie-man is private insurance. After the false-preception is created that private insurance is EVIL, then people will become more accepting of inviting BIG-GOVERNMENT in to solve the problem. This so-called government solution only perpetuates the problem and actually makes it worse... as a result the false-perception actually begins to become real. When you goal is to INCREASE government power and you need victims, then the goal really becomes to increase victims. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.