Health Insurers’ Decision Could Head Off A ‘Major Backlash’ To SCOTUS
Three of the nation's largest insurers announced Monday that they would voluntarily continue to give their customers some of the health law's most popular protections regardless of what the Supreme Court decides.
The Wall Street Journal: Insurers Stand Firm On Benefits
Three of the biggest U.S. health insurers said they plan to keep offering some benefits now required under the federal health overhaul legislation, even if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire law. Humana Inc., Aetna Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. all said they would continue to allow young people to stay on their parents' plans until the age of 26, offer a third-party appeals process for coverage denials, and provide preventive benefits such as immunizations without any out-of-pocket expense for consumers (Mathews, 6/11).
Politico: Insurers Could Take Heat Off GOP To 'Replace'
Those announcements could help the insurers head off a major backlash if the Supreme Court strikes down the law. They don't solve the biggest challenges of health care: how to restrain costs and cover people with pre-existing conditions who are already running up big health bills (Kenen and Allen, 6/11).
Kaiser Health News: 3 Large Insurers Promise To Keep Many Popular Features Of Health Law If High Court Strikes It Down
[UnitedHealthcare] would not cancel policies retroactively. Later Monday, Humana said it would continue those same provisions. Aetna, too, said it would retain the young adult provision, the preventive care benefits and a third-party appeals program. The Aetna announcement did not include a reference to lifetime limits on coverage (Appleby, 6/11).
Bloomberg: Insurers Moves Show No Turning Back On U.S. Health Law
Employers seeking to contain the cost of care will also press to keep other provisions, said Mike Tuffin, who represented insurers as executive vice president at America’s Health Insurance Plans while the law was being negotiated (Wayne, 6/12).
Chicago Sun-Times: UnitedHealth, Humana Plan To Keep Overhaul Elements
Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp., whose Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has nearly 7 million members, “is awaiting the Supreme Court decision” to decide what it will do, said a spokesman. None of the continuing provisions will be free for consumers. Insurers have already factored them into the premium, or the cost of the insurance coverage (Knowles, 6/11).
The Associated Press: Big US Insurers To Keep Parts Of Health Care Law
That major insurers are keeping some of the early provisions of the law underscores the popularity of those requirements. Patients have already gotten used to the benefits, and the insurers have already factored the cost of the provisions into the premiums that customers have to pay for coverage. Bob Laszewski, a consultant in the insurance industry, said insurers have probably added about 3 percent to a patient's bill for the early provisions, depending on the type of coverage (Murphy, 6/11).