As mentioned before in this column, the wheels are coming off the bus that is the Affordable Care Act. Here is another example of good intentions gone astray.
One of the early "benefits" of Obamacare was the PCIP or Pre-Existing Conditions Plan. There is one in Washington called PCIP-WA and thousands of people are enrolled. I have enrolled about 20 individuals myself. The PCIP was a great benefit for people with serious medical conditions and no way to buy a regular health insurance plan -- this one covered them immediately. Enrollment was suddenly halted March 2, 2013.
Well, PCIP may not last to the end of 2013. It is running out of cash. The full article is here (cut and paste into your browser)
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/03/states-pcip-running-out-of-cash?eNL=518428fc150ba03c1e0000bb&utm_source=HCRW&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campaign=LifeHealthPro_eNLs&_LID=107692307
The short version is that this great and wonderful idea wasn't too well thought out, as we are seeing to be the case with most of the ACA. Although the Act set aside $5Billion to run the plan, guess what? The average participant is running up over $225,000 in claims and money is running short.
The Feds may push the responsibility onto the States that are participating in the PCIP. I doubt Washington or any other State has the money to carry this program on when the Federal money pot runs dry.
As Senator Max Baucus, D-Montana said, "I see a train wreck coming..." and he was correct. There is an old saw that goes "He who giveth all he hath to the destitute soon joineth their ranks."
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