Mandated health insurance.
All newly issued policies must include a laundry list of benefits including maternity benefits in all plans . . . even policies issued to males or females who are not able to conceive.
But one of the biggest changes is how you buy your health insurance. The health insurance exchange (HIX) has been promoted as the best thing since elastic waistband pants.
Several states have refused to establish exchanges. Most will require the fed's to implement their exchanges but a few will engage in a federal-state partnership. At last count 33 states were opting out or going the partnership route.
HIX will require "navigators" to assist citizens in the enrollment process estimated to take about 45 minutes just to determine if you qualify for a premium subsidy.
When Obamacare was artificially inseminated the assumption was that states would welcome the opportunity to participate in HIX and carriers would jump at the opportunity to extend health insurance to an estimated 30 million or so individuals.
That was then.
This is now.
In recent weeks several carriers that initially indicated they would participate in HIX now are fueling the rumor mill that says many "big name" carriers could boycott the exchanges.
The Blue plans are the only ones that have gone all in for HIX. The other "big boys" are divided with some stating they may not participate, or they are still evaluating.
It seems like they were for the exchanges before they were against them.
What will DC do if there is only one carrier (Blue) willing to participate in HIX?
Ponder that for a moment.