Insurers Brace For Overhaul Changes
The Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail: The health overhaul seeks to insure millions of Americans who do not currently have coverage with new subsidies, in essence, delivering millions of new customers to insurers. But, the bill would also guarantee people won't be excluded from coverage because of sickness, a potentially costly proposition for insurance firms who continue to complain that too few Americans will become insured and the risk won't be spread thinly enough to offset coverage of the sickest people. "Insurance officials are concerned the penalties won't be high enough to cause everyone to buy insurance" (Rivard, 3/29).Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Yet, "[h]aving spent more than a year opposing various components of President Barack Obama's health care reform plan, insurers must now prepare for the reality of a new business landscape - new rules, new pricing models, new taxes and new customers. ... Barring a congressional repeal or a judicial Hail Mary, the health care reform bill will begin taking effect in stages over the coming years. Insurers will spend the coming months getting a handle on what, precisely, the new law means to their existing business paradigm" (Toland, 3/30). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.