With President Obama’s News Conference, here’s a summary of where the Federal Health Care Exchange sits:
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR YOU: Consumers can keep their 2013 plans for another year, even if they don’t comply with federal rules for minimum benefits.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTION: Technically, the Obama administration will not enforce the individual penalty for not going with eligible health insurance plans. The Administration will allow insurance companies to still sell so-called “bad plans” — plans they technically can’t sell under Obamacare.
STATE ACTION: The Department of Health and Human Services will contact each state’s insurance commissioner, saying that they have federal permission to allow consumers who already have such insurance policies to keep them through 2014.
INSURANCE COMPANY ACTION: Insurance companies which sell individual policies that are out of compliance with federal standards must alert consumers to plans available through the new federal and state insurance marketplaces.
