I've written about this before. The Texas high risk insurance pool worked just fine to insure those who couldn't get medical insurance elsewhere. Those would be people with the infamous "pre-existing conditions."
Now comes an article penned by Ted Nickel, the insurance commissioner for the state of Wisconsin, to wit. I Ran Wisconsin's Successful High-Risk Pool Before Obamacare.. Excerpt:
Prior to the ACA, Wisconsin consumers could choose from over 20 individual insurance companies offering coverage in our state. These included for-profit and not-for-profit companies; HMO’s and PPOs; and local and national insurers. There were a variety of plan options to meet a range of coverage needs.
While these plans were underwritten, individuals denied coverage would receive coverage from Wisconsin’s high-risk pool known as the Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan (HIRSP). HIRSP provided Wisconsin consumers with peace of mind by providing high quality, comprehensive coverage to over 20,000 of our friends and neighbors.
Unlike the current ACA market where most people must wait until open enrollment to purchase coverage, consumers could enroll in HIRSP at any time. There were no pre-existing condition limits for people signing up for coverage if they had prior coverage. If consumers had no prior coverage, they would receive coverage for most conditions, but had to wait six months for pre-existing conditions.
In contrast, with Obamacare you may have to wait up to 11 months for any coverage if you miss open enrollment.
Once enrolled in HIRSP, consumers chose from a variety of benefit plans including both high and low deductible plans. While Obamacare plans are criticized for having narrow networks, there were no network limitations for HIRSP; members were able to visit any medical provider in our state and receive coverage when traveling outside of Wisconsin. Subsidies were also available to offset premiums, deductibles and prescription drug out-of-pocket maximums for low-income members.
HIRSP benefit and administrative costs were funded by member premiums and contributions from insurers and providers. No state dollars were needed to support this program.
That program, as well as the other state programs worked. But they didn't fit the narrative for the Obamacare sales pitch.
Meanwhile, CBO says Senate bill would increase number of uninsured Americans by 22 million. Someone should conduct a serious study about how accurate those CBO predictions have been. Here's a good start: CBO Gets ObamaCare Reform Estimates Wrong — Again.
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12:47 PM 6/27/2017
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