You can hope for anti Castle votes but what democrat can support a plan which guts Medicare and induces your employer to dump your insurance as the Pelosi plan does?

My guess is this tragedy will die in the Senate before many other people die from such a disastrous proposal as the the Pelosi plan.

The Dems are making it easier and easier on the republicans by proposing such garbage.The plan is so good it doesn’t take effect for years but the tax increases start immediately.

Mike Protack

And by the way, the House bill gives the Health Czar full reign to customize private health care plans, so if insurance companies do as you say, the all-powerful Health Czar can lay the smackdown on them.

Whaddyagaht?

So you want to force people upon penalty of prison to buy private health insurance, but you don’t want to give them a financial incentive to be healthy, which would drive down costs?

Who exactly is guilty of the insurance company handout here?

HIPAA Nondiscrimination. The Department of Labor recently issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2008-02 providing group health plan sponsors guidance for compliance with the wellness program exception to HIPAA nondiscrimination regulations. HIPAA generally prohibits discrimination based on “health status-related factors” including physical and mental illnesses, claims experience, receipt of health care, medical history, genetic information, evidence of insurability, and disability.

Under the HIPAA wellness program exception, however, group health plans may offer premium discounts, rebates, reduced co-payments, and/or lower deductibles to participants and beneficiaries who take part in “programs of health promotion and disease prevention.” Under the HIPAA regulations, wellness programs that provide a reward merely for participation in the program (e.g., a heart disease educational program for participants with high blood pressure) are not subject to the HIPAA nondiscrimination rules. The only requirement for these participatory wellness programs is that they be made available to all similarly situated individuals. Programs requiring participants to meet a health-related standard to obtain a reward, such as a target cholesterol level, are subject to additional scrutiny. These standards-based wellness programs must ensure that:

* the total reward does not exceed 20% of the cost of coverage;
* the program is reasonably designed to promote health and prevent disease;
* eligible persons have the opportunity to qualify at least once a year;
* the reward is available to all similarly situated persons and a reasonable alternative standard (or waiver of initial standard) is available if attainment is unreasonably difficult due to a medical condition (plans can require hardship verification); and
* plan materials describing the wellness program must disclose the availability of a reasonable alternative standard the possibility of a waiver of the initial standard, or state that the plan will work with individuals to develop an alternative standard at their request.

Field Assistance Bulletin 2008-02 provides a checklist for plan sponsors to determine whether a wellness program is subject to the HIPAA nondiscrimination rules and assess the compliance of their programs. The FAB is available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/regs/fab2008-2.html.

Get it? Insurers can already offer lower rates if you participate in a Wellness Program, but the Castle “Bend Over” Amendment would allow them to RAISE rates as well!

FUCKING EVIL!!!

This wouldn’t just penalize you for not joining your insurer’s wellness plan — it penalizes you for not joining a wellness plan even if your insurer doesn’t offer one.