Malloy (D-CT) declines president's 'fix' on Obamacare, but extends enrollment deadline

The CT Mirror ^

[matt04]

Connecticut will not allow insurance companies to extend policies now slated to be discontinued because of the federal health law, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Friday.

But he said that Access Health CT, the state's health insurance exchange, will extend by a week its deadline for people to get coverage that takes effect Jan. 1. People now have until Dec. 23 to sign up for an insurance plan that starts at the beginning of 2014.

President Obama last week announced that insurers could extend policies that don't meet the health law's requirements if state regulators agreed to it. He was responding to anger at the hundreds of thousands of insurance policies that are being discontinued despite his pledge that people who like their health plans could keep them under the law commonly known as Obamacare.

"The solution offered a week ago by the president doesn't work in Connecticut," Malloy said.

Even if Connecticut had adopted the option, insurance companies would have been able to decide whether to extend plans they had intended to discontinue.

Malloy said Friday that insurance companies had indicated that they would not extend plans if allowed to. In addition, he said, many policies slated to be discontinued wouldn't be affected by the Obama fix even if it were allowed. And he said that even if plans were renewed, they would likely have significant rate increases.

Keith Stover, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Association of Health Plans, called the governor’s decision “the wise and sensible move” for the state.

“I think it reflects the fact that the national political narrative is not consistent with Connecticut’s on-the-ground practical narrative,” he said, noting that Connecticut’s exchange has been functioning well, so consumers have options for selecting other plans.

[matt04]

“I think it reflects the fact that the national political narrative is not consistent with Connecticut’s on-the-ground practical narrative,” he said, noting that Connecticut’s exchange has been functioning well, so consumers have options for selecting other plans.

Yes, select other plans that cost 3x as much with a 6-12K deductible for catastrophic coverage only.

[Will not Live for another Man]

As we all know, it is a plan designed to drive insurers into bankruptcy... it is working as planned... I just can’t believe the CEOs of these companies... yes I’m talking to you Steve Hemsley, Joe Swedish, and Mark Bertolini... got into bed with this guy... their shareholders should file class action breach of fiduciary responsibility suits