health republic of NY closes down.

[littlewolf]

https://healthrepublicny.org
this really sucks for the people in NY.



Dear Valued Members,

Thank you for your membership and support of Health Republic Insurance of New York.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

YOUR HEALTH REPUBLIC INSURANCE POLICY WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AFTER NOVEMBER 30, 2015.

YOU OR YOUR EMPLOYER MUST PURCHASE A NEW POLICY FROM ANOTHER INSURANCE COMPANY BEFORE NOVEMBER 30, 2015 IN ORDER TO HAVE COVERAGE AFTER NOVEMBER 30, 2015.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LETTER MAILED TO INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

GROUP MEMBERS:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LETTER MAILED TO GROUP MEMBERS WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION | GROUP ADMINISTRATORS CLICK HERE


Information About Transition of Care

If you are either:

a) in an ongoing course of treatment with a provider for a life-threatening or a degenerative and disabling condition or disease; or

b) in the second or third trimester of a pregnancy when your new coverage becomes effective;

You may be able to continue to receive care from your provider for up to 60 days (or through pregnancy) under your new health insurance policy, even if your provider does not participate in your new health insurer’s network. To receive this transitional care, your provider must agree to accept as payment your new health insurer’s reimbursement for such services and to certain other conditions of providing care under the new policy. If your provider agrees, you will receive the services as if they were being provided by a participating provider and you will only pay for any applicable in-network cost-sharing. You, your representative or your provider should contact your new health insurer to determine if you are eligible for transitional care.

more at the link.

[saturnsring]

1. risk corridor

A House aide confirmed to TPM that Republican staffers requested the change to the so-called risk corridor program, which is designed to keep premiums stable by making payments to insurers if they lose more money than expected in the law's first few years.

"As far as anyone can tell, that's what's going on," Timothy Jost, a health law professor at Washington and Lee University who is supportive of the law, told TPM. In theory, if the program doesn't bring in enough money to make its payouts, that could mean insurers will have to -- at the very least -- wait a year before getting their money. In turn, that could have a negative impact on 2016 premiums if insurers have to take a loss in the meantime.

"I think it's important, but I don't think it's the end of the world," Jost said, explaining that major insurers should have the bandwidth to absorb any adverse effects. But smaller insurers might be relying on the risk corridor program, along with the law's reinsurance and risk adjustment programs that are also designed to keep prices stable in the law's early years, to remain solvent.

But any negative effects on insurance companies -- and then, by extension, Obamacare -- are a policy win for Republicans, who have derided risk corridors as a taxpayer-funded bailouts. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) proposed a bill last year to repeal the program entirely.