The District of Columbia insurance commissioner has lost his job after publicly criticizing the president's decision to allow insurance companies to keep offering health plans that don't meet the reform law's requirements next year, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
William White, who had served as the D.C. commissioner since 2011, issued a news release on Thursday saying President Obama's decision undercuts the health insurance exchanges established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Soon after issuing the release, Mr. White realized he had made a "misstep" by not getting prior approval from Mayor Vincent C. Gray's office, according to the report.
This past weekend, the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking replaced Mr. White with Chester McPherson, who most recently was deputy commissioner of market operations for the department, according to the report.
Last week, President Barack Obama announced he would take executive action to allow health plan providers to continue offering individual coverage next year that doesn't meet the reform law's requirements.
Originally, non-grandfathered policies — plans that went into effect or underwent certain changes after the PPACA became law in March 2010 — had to meet new coverage requirements in 2014. Many insurers sent out cancellation notices to people enrolled in non-grandfathered individual plans that didn't meet these requirements. The development spurred Republicans to criticize President Obama, saying he had failed to keep his promise that Americans could keep their old health plans if they wanted under the PPACA.
Insurance industry members have expressed concern about the decision, saying extending plans that aren't grandfathered under the PPACA could lead to fewer younger and healthier people purchasing coverage through the health insurance exchanges, causing premiums to increase.
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