In reaction to major health insurers leaving the children's insurance market, the Obama administration has somewhat softened its stance on requiring insurers to accept children with pre-existing conditions, according to a report by the New York Times.
In an interpretation of the healthcare reform law, HHS officials said insurers could charge higher premiums for children with pre-existing conditions outside open-enrollment periods, as long as state law allows it.
The reform law's ban on rejecting children with pre-existing conditions was implemented in September. Just before implementation, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, WellPoint, Cigna and several other major carriers announced they wouldn't sell new child-only policies because the ban would allow families to buy coverage at the last minute, when children were already ill.
Read the New York Times report on pre-existing conditions.
Read more coverage on pre-existing conditions:
- Three Insurers to Stop Offering New Children's Policies, Citing Reform Law
- Citing Pre-Existing Conditions, Large Health Insurers Denied Coverage to 651,000 Applicants in Individual Market
- 5 Ways Recent Insurance Changes Will Affect Medical Staffing
In an interpretation of the healthcare reform law, HHS officials said insurers could charge higher premiums for children with pre-existing conditions outside open-enrollment periods, as long as state law allows it.
The reform law's ban on rejecting children with pre-existing conditions was implemented in September. Just before implementation, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, WellPoint, Cigna and several other major carriers announced they wouldn't sell new child-only policies because the ban would allow families to buy coverage at the last minute, when children were already ill.
Read the New York Times report on pre-existing conditions.
Read more coverage on pre-existing conditions:
- Three Insurers to Stop Offering New Children's Policies, Citing Reform Law
- Citing Pre-Existing Conditions, Large Health Insurers Denied Coverage to 651,000 Applicants in Individual Market
- 5 Ways Recent Insurance Changes Will Affect Medical Staffing