Side Effects: The Catch 22 of Obamacare Risk Pools
Kathryn Nix /
It was one of the most oft-repeated promises of Obamacare: It will cover people, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
But when it came time to make good on that promise, Congress came up short. Yes, in 2014, the new law prohibits insurers from discriminating against pre-existing conditions—starting in 2014. But what about the next four years?
Lawmakers thought they’d patched that coverage gap by requiring the federal government to create high-risk pools to insure citizens with pre-existing conditions. However, as the AP reports, “some vulnerable patients are probably going to feel a little cheated.” In other words, they didn’t quite get that bit right. (more…)