panic

In another indication of the chaos surrounding the White House and ObamaCare, HHS issued new ‘requests’ of insurance companies, including the bizarre suggestion that they issue ‘retroactive’ insurance.

What exactly is “retroactive insurance?”

Here’s how Obama’s regime envisions the scheme:

Sebelius “strongly encouraged” insurers to pay for prescriptions in January that were covered under policyholders’ old plans but not under their new Obamacare plans. She requested that insurers bill some out-of-network care as in-network care. But the most unusual request by far was that insurers allow people to “retroactively” sign up for coverage effective January 1 anytime next month.

“We’re encouraging [insurers] to offer retroactive coverage,” Michael Hash, director of HHS’s office of health reform, told reporters on a Thursday afternoon conference call. “For example, to allow someone who signs up and pays on January 5 to get coverage with a retroactive start date of January the first.”

In other words, they want insurance companies to cover people under some sort of honor system. But this makes the concept of insurance moot. If you could buy insurance with a retroactive start date, why wouldn’t you just wait until you got sick or injured before you purchased? And how are insurance companies supposed to know who is going to eventually enroll and who is not? Here’s some excellent coverage at Fox addressing some of these same concerns:

This section is for comments from tammybruce.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Tammy agrees with or endorses any particular comment just because she lets it stand.
11 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. NeverSurrender says:

    This is where the experience of selling lemonade as a kid comes in handy. Those kids have more business experience than this whole administration combined.

  2. MaryVal says:

    They’re completely out of their minds. I want to see some insurance company executives take these lawless morons to task and give them a lesson in contract law. Fire Sebelius, impeach Obama. January is going to be an unmitigated disaster for any sick person who thinks they purchased a policy through the Obamacare websites. They are going to be financially destroyed. And the people who successfully purchased one of the Obamacare policies, will ALSO be financially destroyed.

  3. paul14 says:

    George Will, is wrong! “Government by Teenagers”, would be a huge improvement.

  4. Alain41 says:

    2fer. Media relations-wise it’s government ‘pragmatic largesse’ aimed at those who have lost their old ins. Realistically it benefits illegal immigrants. Under Ocare, those without health ins. are no longer supposed to show up at hospitals. But no illegal immigrant has signed up with Ocare (maybe a few for Medicaid) and with this statement, hospitals won’t be able to tell who used to have ins. and who never has. Expect big amnesty push in January before public understanding. Libs may even proclaim that amnesty will increase revenue to healthcare, a ‘free savings’. And/or after one month, announcement will be made that this approach has ‘proved’ itself and therefore should continue for 3 more months while the final 5% of glitches are fixed.

  5. jmm says:

    I agree with MaryVal!

    When are Americans going to start getting mad and raise hell with their Congressmen? People should be demonstrating in DC and not let up until this is resolved. Where is the fight America? We deserve answers on Bengahzi, Fast and Furious, IRS, WH investigating Fox and Obamacare fraud. This president should be impeached for violating his oath to the Constitution.

    Why aren’t insurance companies saying enough and we will sue the federal government?

    Im so tired of the Republicans and their whining about they can do anything because they don’t have the majority. Do you think the Dems would sit back and take it?

    Can you tell I’m mad as hell!

    God help us all!

  6. strider says:

    Destruction of our MD system to pave the way for some utopian version could have been a way to scam even the left. Looking more like theft on the largest scale in modern history. They are likely popping the champaign corks.

  7. Gordon says:

    To date, how many illegal changes to this law does this make; and because this is no longer the same law that the Supremes justified to be legal, then why would the pukes in DC think that anyone would feel obligated to follow it? Oh BTW, is George Will just now realizing that the Prez is nothing more than a spoiled brat man-child with a very dangerous imperial complex considering his position?

    • Alain41 says:

      Good question about Will. I remember he hosted some get together at his house with Obama and ‘conservatives’. I believe right after Obama’s first election.

  8. Pat_S says:

    I wish we could have a retroactive election.

  9. makeshifty says:

    I think we have government by teenagers because that’s the mentality of the majority of the electorate. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your 50s. You’re as young as you wanna be.

    Problem is this is fascism. I mean this really. The government tells the insurers what to do, and they do it. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t paid by customers. The government will bail them out, or at least promise to. El Presidente dictates insurance policy at his whim, unless state insurance commissioners get in the way. If some insurers don’t comply with government demands, they may not get paid, or they’ll get it after everyone else. If insurers don’t regret getting in bed with the government by now, they’re idiots. They thought they were going to get this nice, tidy deal where they have a guaranteed flow of income through the Obamacare mandates. Now they’re wholly beholden to the federal government to stay in business. They made their bed…

You must be logged in to post a comment.