Minn., Mass. Officials Say They Will Not Follow Obama’s Advice On Fixing Canceled Policies, But N.C. Does
States are considering whether to allow insurers to continue offering current plans that are sold on the individual market and that don't meet the standards of the health law. The president suggested that fix last week.
The Associated Press: Dayton: No Extension Of Existing Health Coverage
Gov. Mark Dayton announced Monday that Minnesotans will not be able to keep existing insurance coverage under the federal health-care law, despite saying last week that he supported President Obama's plan to allow it (Condon, 11/19).
MinnPost: Dayton Says Minnesota Will Not Adopt Obamacare 'Fix'
Gov. Mark Dayton, responding to health insurers’ concerns, said Monday afternoon that Minnesota would not adopt an optional fix for those whose coverage had changed because their plans didn’t comply with the federal health reform law (Nord, 11/18).
The Associated Press: Massachusetts Consumers Cannot Keep Health Plans
Massachusetts' top insurance official said Monday that the state won't allow consumers to keep health insurance policies that fall below the minimum requirements of the federal health care law. State Insurance Commissioner Joseph Murphy said in a letter sent Monday to the Obama administration that substandard insurance policies are "virtually non-existent" in Massachusetts because of its first-in-the-nation health care law that took effect in 2007 (LeBlanc, 11/18).
North Carolina Health News: State Expedites Obamacare Fix
Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians who buy insurance on the individual marketplace will be able to keep their current coverage plans after several days of scrambling by federal and state officials (Hoban, 11/18).
The Associated Press: Friday Deadline For Health Insurers To Decide
Health insurance providers in Oregon have until Friday to decide if they will be restoring any of the policies set to be canceled because they don't measure up to the federal health care law. Oregon Insurance Commissioner Laura Cali announced Monday that the Insurance Division will post a list of insurers offering extensions by 5 p.m. Friday on its website (11/18).
San Francisco Chronicle: California Weighing Obama's Shift On Health Plans
California and New York said the president's one-year reprieve for insurance policies that don't meet the stricter requirements of the Affordable Care Act undermines the risk pool of patients needed to make the law viable. California will decide this week whether to comply with President Obama's request, Peter Lee, the executive director of the state's health exchange, told reporters Monday. New York also is "still considering the president's option," said Danielle Holahan, deputy director of that state's insurance marketplace (Wayne, 11/18).