Comment: To make sure states would play along, the Democrat operatives who wrote Obamacare included incentives: “If you make an Obamacare exchange, we’ll subsidize its premiums.” The law offers no welfare premium payments in states that rejected Obamacare exchanges.
The administration has already unlawfully decided its IRS can pay Obamacare welfare subsidies in Healthcare.gov states, even though section 1321 (“Healthcare.gov” states) doesn’t allow it. The IRS’ excuse? “Congress forgot.” That issue is being litigated. Trillions of debt, deficits, and tax dollars are at stake.
In both cases, however, the welfare premium subsidies are only offered for Obamacare policies sold on Obamacare exchanges. Now, the Administration has decided it can subsidize anything, even off-exchange policies.
Want a pony? Want the rest of the country to pay for it? No problem, as long as your state is loyal, friendly, and blue.
“Major tech problems at several state Obamacare enrollment websites are so bad that the federal government Thursday said it would give some people who in frustration bought health insurance outside those websites the tax subsidies that otherwise would be unavailable to them.”
“While the latest Obamacare fix, laid out in a complex, densely worded “guidance,” will affect a relatively small number of people, it is the first time that those subsidies are being allowed to be used for Affordable Care Act-compliant insurance plans bought outside the government-run health exchanges.”
[...] “The fix is aimed at the “small number” of states whose Obamacare enrollments have been dramatically crippled by their flawed ACA websites, according to a CMS official.”
“Those states are understood to include Oregon, Maryland, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Nevada, which are all operating their own Obamacare websites.”
Cure for some Obamacare sign-up blues? Money.
Friday, 28 Feb 2014 | 2:42 PM ET
By: Dan Mangan | Health Care Reporter