On Tuesday federal officials adjusted the ‘rules’ governing ObamaCare enrollment yet again. Acknowledging there is no hope they’ll meet the enrollment goals set for the March 31st deadline, Health and Human Services (HHS) will give extra time to Americans, as long as they claim they were unable to enroll for a plan through the federal insurance marketplace ahead of the deadline. The extension will last until ‘about mid-April’.
So it’s really not a change in rules, exactly, but an elimination of rules; The government has arbitrarily decided to not enforce the rules they set.
Under the new rules, 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.The rules, which will apply to the federal exchanges operating in three dozen states, will essentially create a large loophole even as White House officials have repeatedly said that the March 31 deadline was firm. The extra time will not technically alter the deadline but will create a broad new category of people eligible for what’s known as a special enrollment period.
The change, which the administration is scheduled to announce Wednesday, is supported by consumer advocates who want as many people as possible to gain insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But it’s likely to be criticized by Republicans who oppose the law and have denounced the way the administration is implementing it.
Administration officials said the accommodation is an attempt to prepare for a possible surge of people trying to sign up in the final days before the deadline. Such a flood could leave some people unable to get through the system.
“We are . . . making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment — either online or over the phone,” said Julie Bataille, director of the office of communications for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the federal health-care exchange.
The extra time will not be restricted, though, to people who wait until the last minute to try to sign up. Although no one will be asked why they need an extension, the idea is to help people whose applications have been held up because of the Web site’s technical problems, or who haven’t been able to get the system to calculate subsidies to help them pay for coverage.
According to a Health and Human Services official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about decisions that have not been made public, an exact time frame for this extension has not been set, and it will depend in part on how many people request it. Nor have officials decided precisely how long people will have to select a health plan after they get the extra time.
Source: The Washington Post
Photo: DonkeyHotey on Flickr
what a joke great likeness
What a pile of bull $#%&!@* this whole thing IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why does congress allow this? Is there nothing that our elected officials in government can do? Are we ruled by a dictator? We need to vote them all out of office and start over.
nice picture though very flattering
I don’t believe anything this country is doing. We are not a country governed by laws any longer. We are a country governed by men. And not GOOD men.
How silly. Honor system? Do we have a president or “Howdy Doody?”
“Honor System”? There’s no honor with this administration!
Democrats passed Obamacare and Obama signed it into Law. Not One Republican Voted for it.
The violence in the Ukraine was financed from inside the United States and we and the EU were wrong to impose sanctions against Russia. The people of Crimea voted to break away from the Ukraine and become part of the Russian Federation because of the Terrorism and Violence financed by the United States and the EU. No Incumbents. They have not fired Holder, Biden, and Obama. Vote them out.
The Obamacare delays do not change the fact Obamacare will hurt every working man, every working woman, and every small businesses in the United States. The Delays until after the Election are just for the good of the incumbents, who want to be re elected. Vote all the rich parasites out.
The Nuclear Plant Meltdown is destroying our oceans and NATO and the United States are too busy murdering civilians in Africa and the Middle East and trying to start World War III to do anything useful. No Incumbents, they gave us the horrible War on Terror, the NDAA, the Cyber Security Bill, the horrible Obamacare monster, allow our EPA, IRS, and NSA to be corrupt, and they have not fired Eric Holder and Obama. Vote every one of them out. No Incumbents.
Obamacare, the NDAA, and the Cyber Security Bill are wrong and stupid, repeal them.
End our stupid War on Terror that is giving the Terrorists of Africa and the Middle East the Media Attention, Destruction, and Death they want at the expense of the United States Taxpayers, the trillions of dollars wasted on that bloody war could be put to better use.
Obama, Obama’s Administration, our current Senators, and our current Represenatives have failed to keep their Oath of Office to protect our Consititution and with it our Human Rights and our Freedoms. The monsters want Drones and Robot Cops in our Cities causing the same kind of carnage and collateral damage they are responsible for in Africa and the Middle East.
No Incumbents.
Vote them out.
No Incumbents.