Not So Bright Idea: ObamaCare “WorkAround” Will Make Payments To Insurance Co. By Guessing
by Katie Pavlich, Townhall
Two weeks ago we learned that a majority of the Obamacare website still hasn’t been built, including the payment system. Now, because the payment system isn’t built or working properly for people trying to enroll in Obamacare through the federal exchange, insurance companies will be billing the government for subsidies based on “guesses” of how much the government owes them. Welcome to bailout by guestimation:
The administration is planning a “workaround” for payments, said Daniel Durham, vice president for policy and regulatory affairs at America’s Health Insurance Plans.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not yet finished building the part of the website that would transfer billions of dollars in subsidies for plan premiums and cost-sharing payments to insurance companies.
Health plans will estimate how much they are owed, and submit that estimate to the government. Once the system is built, the government and insurers can reconcile the payments made with the plan data to “true up” payments, he said.
