REMEMBER: 2019 Open Enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, 2018.
New Guidance Reinterprets Section 1332 Waivers (Say Ahhh! blog of the Georgetown Center on Children and Families, 11/1/18) – This article explains the recent changes to the criteria that CMS will use in considering state proposals to alter ACA requirements. The proposed changes will make it easier for states to permit the sale of insurance plans that are not comprehensive. More about this change in ACA waiver requirements can be found in the October 31 Update.
Why Do Short-Term Health Insurance Plans Have Lower Premiums Than Plans That Comply with the ACA? (Kaiser Health News, 10/31/18)
INSURANCE BUYERS BEWARE: FTC Halts Purveyors of Sham Health Insurance Plans: (Federal Trade Commission press release, 11/2/18). Content from the FTC press release:
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal judge temporarily shut down a Florida-based operation that allegedly that sold virtually worthless “insurance” plans to consumers. The defendants led consumers to think they were buying comprehensive health insurance that would meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. In many cases, the websites created by the company misleadingly featured the logos of the AARP or well-known insurance carriers, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, when in fact the alleged insurance company was not affiliated with such entities. Scam plan names include: Simple Health Plans, Health Benefits One, Health Center Management, Innovative Customer Care, Simple Insurance Leads, Senior Benefits One, Health Benefits Center, Simple Insurance, Simple Insurance Plans, Simple Auto, Simple Home Plans, Simple Care, Simple Life, and National Dental Savings. There are multiple associated websites, including https://www.trumpcarequotes.com/insure/health/. See also Feds shut down Hollywood [Florida]-based ‘sham’ health insurance marketer (South Florida Sun Sentinel, 11/2/18)
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