Healthcare Reform Update
Posted on Mon, Nov 01, 2010
Latest Public Opinion on Healthcare Reform
Just days before the mid-term elections, a Rasmussen Report reported that the majority of American voters still are in favor of repealing the healthcare reform law, and the number of Americans that see this as a likely scenario is at an all-time high.
46% of American voters believe that it's at least somewhat likely that the healthcare reform law will be repealed, which is 6 points higher than earlier this month. It is the highest level that's been measured since this question has been tracked beginning last April.
The SHRM/National Journal poll also reported in their recent findings that 51% of American voters would support repealing the new healthcare reform law if the Republicans took control over the Senate and/or House.
Nationwide Enrollment in Pre-Existing Insurance Plan Programs Lagging
As part of healthcare reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, each state was required to develop and implement a high risk pool medical plan for those Americans that have pre-existing conditions, who have not had medical insurance in the last 6 months. However, enrollment applications has been much lower than projected.
The high risk plans started to accept applications beginning this past summer, and plans are up and running in each state in America. However, enrollment is very low because people that are eligible for the plan are finding out that the plans are priced too high.
These high risk plans are meant to be a bridge between now and 2014, when medical insurance exchanges will be up and running, as per the healthcare overhaul.
Key features of this plan that vary by state are the deductible sizes, the coverage of medicines and preventative care services before meeting a deductible, and the restrictions on out of pocket costs for medical care received outside of a plan's network.
Many Companies May End Up Dropping Medical Plans in 2014
If changes are not made to the current healthcare reform law, many employers may be seriously contemplating dropping their medical plans for employees in 2014, and instead help them with getting medical insurance through an insurance exchange instead. Unfortunately, the financial incentives are just too great for companies to ignore. This will result in higher federal outlays in order to support all of the federal subsidies that'll be given to individuals that apply through the exchanges. The generous subsidies that will be paid out through these exchanges will result in a healthcare reform law that drives many more Americans than projected out of company sponsored medical insurance and instead into the largely subsidized federal medical system.