Insurers have raised concerns about the lack of regulations regarding the Affordable Care Act official enrollment periods, stating that health care spending and overall premiums have risen because of individuals who are not buying health insurance within the official enrollment period and who are waiting instead to purchase insurance only when they get sick. This has led to plans by the Obama administration to tighten the rules for anyone enrolling in insurance via HealthCare.gov outside of the official enrollment period.
As the rules stand now, people can purchase health insurance coverage after the enrollment deadline if special circumstances apply, such as a change in employment, the birth of a new child, marriage and divorce. Exceptions were also made for uninsured people looking to get coverage at the same time as they did their taxes or for those who had technical problems with the insurance website.
Insurers believe that the rules concerning signing up for healthcare insurance outside of the official enrollment period are way too broad as they stand, allowing people to take advantage of the fact. According to a top federal official, the administration plans to eliminate some of the criteria for late sign-ups in addition to making the criteria language clearer to help cut down on costs.
A New Task Force
Andy Slavitt, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, believes that tightening the existing rules will help ensure that the special enrollment period will serve its original purpose. A new task force will be implemented to make sure that people are honest in regards to health insurance purchases. The task force will even terminate health insurance coverage for any consumers that enrolled outside of the official deadline without having a legitimate reason for doing so.
Rules for special enrollment periods are set to become much stricter. For more information concerning the Affordable Care Act or for advice on how to enroll, visit us at The Benefits Store today.