Another ObamaCare Delay
By JAMES FREEMAN
BUYING INSURANCE ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL
The Washington Post reports that the "Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline."
The Post says that "people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth." Also, "an exact time frame for this extension has not been set...Nor have officials decided precisely how long people will have to select a health plan after they get the extra time."
But even after this latest ObamaCare improvisation expires, many patients will still be able to buy coverage under existing rules that allow for later sign-ups. "Those include people who have a new baby, are getting a divorce, lose a job with health insurance or had a technical problem signing up for coverage through HealthCare.gov," adds the Post. And of course "people will still be trusted to tell the truth about why they need more time — a method known as 'self-attestation.'"
This week's hurried rewrite of ObamaCare rules will help the administration try to meet its lowered expectation of 6 million customers. But it also shines a light on one of the reasons the new policies will be so costly: Patients are able to buy coverage after learning they will need medical care. An insurance pool of only self-selected sick patients is not really insurance at all, but simply a mechanism for paying the costs of care. And those costs are certain to rise.
The Health Department announced today that it has identified 16 cases of measles in northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Seven adult cases and 9 pediatric cases have been identified to date. New Yorkers are urged to make sure all household members, including young children, are vaccinated. To date, there have been four hospitalizations as a result of this outbreak.
The Health Department today kicks off its ninth annual nicotine patch and gum program to help New Yorkers quit smoking. The program, in partnership with the New York State Smokers' Quitline, will run through April 1st. Since the nicotine patch and gum program began in 2006, it has helped almost 300,000 adult New Yorkers quit smoking and contributed to the city's multi-pronged effort to reduce the prevalence of adult smoking to 15.5% and youth smoking to 8.5%. To coincide with the patch and gum giveaway, the Health Department will run a series of powerful ads on television featuring Marie, a New Yorker who began smoking in high school. In her early forties, Marie was diagnosed with a disease caused by smoking that, over time, led to amputations of her foot, leg, and some fingers. She has been smoke-free since 2006 when she called 311 for help to quit, and has become a national spokesperson for quitting smoking.