So the vast majority of the PPACA was affirmed as constitutional. Now I suppose that means I have to finishing going through it. I’ll pick it back up tomorrow, with renewed enthusiasim. Goal: to complete the whole thing by the November election.
Monthly Archives: June 2012
What will happen?
So I’ve been remiss in posting to this as much as I would have wanted to. Some of it has been my personal life getting in the way (remember my two kids!) but most of it has been a classic economic tradeoff. If the Supremes strike the whole PPACA down this month, I’d have felt really silly stressing about getting it done super fast. So – I’ve slowed down. Once we know what happens (and I don’t think they will strike the whole thing down, but I doubt they will just say it can all stand either. We’ll see.) I’ll get back on the blogging horse.
Until then – think about ponies and kitties frolicking in the grass. That should cheer you up.
Remember the Tooth!
So I had to have a root canal a couple of weeks ago. Could explain why my energy level has been Less than Zero ™. But we press on with the next section of the PPACA.
The next big section of the PPACA again relates to the Exchanges. This larger section is called “State Flexibility Relating to Exchanges”.
Sec 1321 involves a lengthy, and perhaps somewhat repetitive, statement of what the requirements are for the new health insurance Exchanges. It states that the Secretary for HHS shall set up requirements for the Exchanges, how to offer qualified health plans (remember those!) through the Exchanges, the establishment of risk and reinsurance programs (which we haven’t discussed yet), and other appropriate requirements, such as whether you should wear a morning coat to a wedding after 10 a.m. (Maybe not that last one.)
The states are required to set up Exchanges by Jan 1, 2014, and if they are determined by Jan 1, 2013 to be unlikely to have these on time, then the Secretary can set them up for the states. This is enforceable (according to this law) by the Public Health Service Act.
Has it occurred to you by now, as it has to me, that this is a really dull Act?
Sec 1322 – Federal Program to Assist Establishment and Operation of Nonprofit, Member-Run Health Insurance Issuers. These are the CO-OP Health plans. Since presumably these plans won’t have giant piles of cash sitting around to help them be a part of the new mechanisms, the federal government will give them loans and grants to come into existence. They have to be actual non-profits, and not use these funds for propaganda or influencing legislation. Can we get more rules like this?
Lots of stuff about the boardmembers of the loan granting program– 15 members, unpaid except for travel expenses, terms expire in 2015.
The CO-Ops get to not pay taxes on the loans and they are subject to oversight by the GAO. Fun, thy name is the GAO.
Filed under PPACA
stayathomeeconomist 