Pirate's Cove

The same people who were pretty darned supportive of the mandate in Obamacare, which included penalties/fees/taxes for Citizens who failed to have insurance for 60 straight days in a year are now upset that the GOP health bill does something similar

GOP Health Bill Penalizes Patients Who Let Insurance Lapse

Before he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2015, Anthony Kinsey often went without health insurance. He is a contract lawyer working for staffing agencies on short-term projects in the Washington, D.C., area and sometimes the 90-day waiting period for coverage through a staffing agency proved longer than the duration of his project — if health coverage was offered at all.

When Kinsey, now 57, learned he had cancer, he was able to sign up for a plan with a $629 monthly premium because the agency he was working for offered group coverage that became effective almost immediately. The plan covered the $62,000 surgery to cut out the diseased bone and tissue on the left side of his face, as well as chemotherapy and radiation. His share of the treatment cost was $1,800.

If the GOP health plan recently approved by the House becomes law, people like Kinsey who have health problems might not fare so well trying to buy insurance after a lapse.

The Republican bill would still require insurers to offer coverage to everyone, including people who have pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma or even cancer. But it would allow states to opt out of the federal health law’s prohibition against charging sick people more than healthy ones.

In those states, if people have a break in coverage of more than 63 days, insurers could charge them any price for approximately a year when the consumers next apply for coverage — effectively putting health insurance out of reach for many sick people, analysts say. After a year, they would be charged a regular rate again.

So, this is a mandate with a penalty. In reality, they would be charged a 30% surcharge for 1 year, not whatever insurers want to charge them, when discussing the penalty. I thought Liberals liked the idea of a mandate with a penalty/fine/tax? They fought hard to keep the one in Obamacare.

The problem with the GOP mandate, as well as the Ocare mandate, is that there are no waivers. If you lose you job, which means you lose your insurance, and are out of work for that time period (60 days for Ocare, 63 for GOP plan), you’ll be penalized. COBRA coverage is not cheap, and people who lost a job are worried about their money lasting. Then they get a new job, and usually aren’t eligible for company health insurance for 90 days. Heck, if you leave one job on Friday and start a new on on Monday, you’ll be out of health insurance for over 60/63 days. There should be waivers for situations. We aren’t talking about people saying “I’ll take my chances” and then want insurance when something happens.

It is hilarous, though, that Liberals are attempting to say that requiring people to maintain continuous coverage, and getting penalized if they don’t, is now problematic when it wasn’t before.