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发帖数: 29846 | 1 GOP Proposal on Canceled Coverage Garners 39 Votes From Across Aisle Despite
Obama Veto Threat
By COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON, SIOBHAN HUGHES and JON KAMP CONNECT
Updated Nov. 15, 2013 9:57 p.m. ET
More than three dozen House Democrats rebuffed a White House veto threat and
backed a Republican plan to change the health-care law, underscoring the
tensions among members of President Barack Obama's party a day after he
proposed his own fix to tamp down complaints.
The Republican plan, a response to unease among millions of Americans who
face cancellation of health-insurance policies that don't meet the new law's
standards, would give insurers one more year to offer policies that were
set to end. Unlike Mr. Obama's plan, the GOP measure would allow insurers to
sell those policies to new customers.
WSJ's Janet Hook explains why Congressional Democrats finally ran out of
patience with the White House over the Obama health-care rollout: The
website's problems hurt lawmakers' standing with voters, but the insurance
cancellations were especially damaging.
The 39 Democrats who backed the plan set a high-water mark in Republicans'
efforts to win support from across the aisle to amend or delay portions of
the law.
Mr. Obama also faces skepticism among insurers about changes to the
Affordable Care Act just a month and a half before it fully takes effect. He
met insurance-company executives at the White House on Friday, hoping they
would support his plan to extend canceled insurance policies sold in the
individual market.
State insurance commissioners, who must approve the revived plans, expressed
concern that time was short. "We were already looking at some options, but
continuing current policies wasn't one of them because the federal law of
the land said that was not an option," said Pennsylvania Insurance
Commissioner Michael Consedine. "It's basically turning an aircraft carrier
—it takes a lot of time."
The House legislation was written by Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.) and won
support from 222 Republicans as well as the 39 Democrats. Thirty-five
Democratic lawmakers had voted for a GOP bill in July to delay the health
law's mandate on businesses.
Administration officials said that Mr. Upton's bill would allow insurers to
sell substandard insurance to new customers, undermining the Affordable Care
Act, and said Mr. Obama would veto the bill if it came to his desk—
unlikely given Democratic control of the Senate. Still, the party defections
showed that Mr. Obama was having trouble controlling the backlash as he
tried to make good on his promise that "if you like your plan, you can keep
your plan."
Democrats who voted for the Republican plan face headwinds in their re-
election efforts next year, as most have been targeted by the House
Republican campaign arm for supporting the health law. The National
Republican Congressional Committee has shifted into overdrive, tailoring
news releases about dozens of Democrats such as Reps. Ron Barber (D., Ariz.)
and Patrick Murphy (D., Fla.) who are thought to be vulnerable in the 2014
elections. On Friday, the effects of that pressure appeared to bear fruit.
"I would imagine that there would be more and more attacks coming for months
on end," Mr. Murphy, a freshman representative, told reporters shortly
before voting in favor of the Republican-led bill.
William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former
policy adviser to President Bill Clinton, called the vote a troubling sign
after the president apologized Thursday and took responsibility for fumbling
the rollout of the health law. "It's not going to be enough to do one
contrite press conference," he said. "He needs to show that he's in touch
and in charge and that he understands how important it is to get it right
the second time, having failed to get it right the first time."
Some Democrats said Mr. Obama's plan had quelled an even greater uproar. Rep
. Mike Doyle (D., Pa.) said he and colleagues might have voted for the GOP
bill if there hadn't been an alternative solution. "The good news is the
president has responded," Mr. Doyle said.
Mr. Obama's plan would let existing holders of individual insurance policies
renew for an additional year in 2014 even if those policies don't meet the
Affordable Care Act's standards. The law requires policies to offer certain
benefits such as free preventive care and forbids insurers from charging
higher premiums to sicker customers.
Some insurers said they had received no warning or direction ahead of Mr.
Obama's announcement Thursday, and they weren't sure if renewing already-
canceled policies was practical. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said
the administration has been in consultation with insurers on a regular
basis.
Explore how America's health-care overhaul will affect you on this first-
person adventure. CLICK THE IMAGE to start interactive experience.
A White House official described the president's meeting with 15 chief
executives from the health-insurance industry as productive but offered few
details. They discussed how to minimize disruption for consumers and what
steps to take in working with state insurance commissioners on implementing
the president's proposed extension, the official said.
Insurers and the administration again discussed the prospect of insurers
getting the go-ahead and necessary data to directly enroll people who would
qualify for subsidies on premiums, bypassing the troubled health-insurance
exchange websites, according to a person familiar with the matter. Such a
move would allow insurers to sign up some of the millions of Americans
expected to qualify for tax credits towards the cost of their coverage.
The health-insurance industry's top trade group, America's Health Insurance
Plans, has warned that the president's proposal to extend canceled policies
could lead to higher prices, a suggestion that the White House disputes.
If insurers go along with Mr. Obama's policy shift, as many as several
million healthy people may stick with their current plans next year rather
than buy coverage on new insurance exchanges set up under the health law.
Many consumers upset about the policy cancellations say they enjoyed
preferential pricing because of their good health.
Exacerbating the cancellation situation: Many people are having trouble
buying coverage that complies with the health law because of problems with
the federal HealthCare.gov website, which serves consumers in 36 states, and
some state-run websites.
If the exchange plans lose customers with lower-than-average medical costs,
that would cut into the profits of insurers, because 2014 premiums were set
on the assumption that owners of the canceled policies would move onto the
exchanges. That could force premiums higher in 2015.
"We've now taken a riskier situation and thrown gasoline onto it," said
Allan Einboden, chief executive of Scott & White Health Plan, a nonprofit
insurer based in Temple, Texas. "If your premium has to be so high, it's not
affordable to anyone."
Across the country, both insurers and state officials voiced a range of
concerns about the president's policy shift.
Ohio's lieutenant governor and insurance director, Mary Taylor, a Republican
, expressed concern about adding more "uncertainty and complexity to an
insurance market already in chaos." She also said the move will speed
premium increases for many consumers and small businesses. Nonetheless, Ms.
Taylor and several other state insurance commissioners said they would work
with companies that want to reinstate policies.
Meritus, a new health insurer from Tempe, Ariz., estimates the group of
people buying coverage will now be reduced by some 100,000 to 200,000 people
, because their canceled policies will be reinstated, said Chief Executive
Kathleen Oestreich. The late change will only add to consumer concerns
stoked by issues with HealthCare.gov, she said.
"This now creates another level of confusion and frustration and anger,"
said Ms. Oestreich. "People are going to delay their purchase again."
—Timothy W. Martin, Louise Radnofsky and Janet Hook contributed to this
article. | I******I
发帖数: 14241 | 2 好像是WSJ头版上的一篇文章，今天瞟了一眼看到了。 |
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