Posted on 08/30/2013 7:29:44 PM PDT by Pfesser
Edited on 08/31/2013 6:35:25 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Earlier this month, Georgia discovered a way to obstruct the implementation of Obamacare, causing Democrats across the country to condemn the states Department of Insurance for obstructing President Barack Obamas beloved Affordable Care Act.
In early August, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens explained the obstruction method to a crowd of enthusiastic Georgians. Obamacare created many positions within each states healthcare exchange for insurance agents, or employees that sign customers up for Obamacare coverage.
In early August, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens explained the obstruction method to a crowd of enthusiastic Georgians.
I'm so glad we got rid of Oxendine.
BUMP!
If it isnt erased by the Supremes it should work across the board no?
Thank You Georgia!
IMHO, we should be doing everything we can to stop this disaster. Not delay it, STOP it, dead in it's tracks.
The idea of federalizing 1/6 of the US economy is nuts.
It doesn’t. It jus slows down the implementation a bit.
My district as well and so glad to have campaigned for him for Gov.He did what his constituents asked of him.How refreshing.
Ah ... you must not have read the fine print at the end of the unaffordable care act .... The health and human resources secretary has to make you an appointment at the emergency room. Normally takes six months to a year, so you could lose your hand.
>>>I must be really dense. How does this obstruct Obamacare?
If I understand the article correctly, Georgia will require potential Obamacare Exchange employees to take the same examination that a trained insurance agent would have to take . . . despite the fact the potential Exchange employees have zero training in being an insurance agent: they’ve taken no courses on the subject, read no books on it, etc.
Georgia will do three things: 1) Require potential Exchange employees to become “Navigators”; 2) Require them to take the examination for becoming a licensed insurance agent: and 3) Change the name of the examination from “Insurance Agent Examination” to “Navigator Examination.” It’s Georgia’s examination; they can call it anything they want.
It’s also based on some demographic savvy as to who the potential Exchange employees are likely to be: probably ACORN types, community organizers, et al. What are the odds that such people will muster the self-discipline and ambition to take the same educational route that someone wanting to be an actual insurance agent would take, especially for the sake of passing what is probably a long, tough, boring licensing examination? Shall we say “slim”?
It’s a clever idea. I very much hope it works.
GA FReeper ping. This is a very interesting item. Don’t miss the comments at 18 and 31.
God bless Hudgens! I hope he can make it stick!
First of all, the link that you have labelled as being “fox news” does not go to fox news, it goes to something called “american overlook”. It is an undated and unattributed article.
Second of all, there have been no “recent” laws passed in Georgia. The 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly ended on March 28.
Here is a link to information on House Bill 198:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display/20132014/HB/198
Here is a link to a “real” news article from back in April that gives much more information:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2013-04-21/georgia-other-states-seek-licensing-health-reform-outreach
“...Georgia is among about 20 states attempting to restrict a key outreach program for the Affordable Care Act...”
“...The bill would require those who want to serve as navigators or provide advice about enrolling in the health insurance exchanges to be licensed and to have not less than 35 hours of instruction in health benefit insurance, in how the exchanges work and knowledge of Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare...”
“...Whether the laws can be enforced is another question. Proposed federal regulations on implementing the navigator program published earlier this month note that while navigators must meet state licensing or certification requirements, those requirements should not prevent the application of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act...”
“It’ll work until they round up enough people smart enough to pass the test”
Which will probably be current Ins. brokers once Bambicare drives all the Ins Company’s broke.
Not realistic,
it’s a tiny speed bump.
NJ’s health insurance agent licensing is one of the four hardest in the country.
It only takes 3 days of 8 hour classes and passing a school’s in house exam and the state licensure test to become a health insurance agent.
However, in Georgia, there are only these requirements:
Accident & Health
20-hour Accident and Sickness course taken within last 12 months
Company CA required after licensure
Fees $15+$50
Of the 20 hours of coursework, maybe 80% to 95% is already in the required Navigator training curriculum.
Since the Navigators are required to take 24 to 96 hours of training anyway (depending on the state), adding a few hours of State required Insurance Law coursework is not a big deal, and was explicitly written into ACA as an option for the states to continue to properly regulate their insurance markets.
In short, this added a 20 hour a year continuing education coursework requirement for Navigators, which the Insurance industry has been pushing for anyway, added a few hours of Georgia specific Insurance law to the training, and added another layer of State bureaucracy and fees to the Navigator career path.
That’s a great idea...eliminate the bed - eliminate the bed bugs.
Careful about the rhetoric,
ACA specifically allowed states to implement any type of reasonable oversight and regulation of their insurance market, including background checks, licensure, continuing education requirements, etc on the personnel in the industry, be it a Ins Co employee, an independent broker, or Navigator.
Georgia was just the first to implement what will become a national standard within a few years.
Licensing is a form of monopoly power by the state and the licensed to prevent new competition. If the radical leftists can be the first to market as the Navigators for the state, it will be exceedingly difficult to ever displace them as a market force. In the end, the radicals who soaked up the last 3 years of ACA Naiagtor grants are going to love these laws, it’s permanently elevates their positions with the barrier of entry for competitors in the form of licensing reqs.
Cusps to you if you were able to glean that from the article. I read it several times and hit a dry well.
Of course I spent days this week in mind-numbing classes on tax law implementation. And that is NOT my area at all. So perhaps my mind has been turned to mush.
That should say Cudos not cusps. DYAC.
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