Authored by Lawrence Wilson via The Epoch Times,
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has unveiled new regulations to strengthen the integrity of the Obamacare insurance exchanges and promote innovation.
The new federal rule, released for comment on Feb. 9, will lower the cost of health care, according to Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“At President [Donald] Trump’s direction, [this agency] is driving down costs and rooting out fraud across our health insurance programs,”Kennedy said in astatement, predicting that the policy changes overall will reduce premiums and increase consumer choice.
America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade association for health insurance companies, has disputed that claim. However, 24 had more enrollees in Obamacare zero-premium plans in 2024 than they had qualifying residents, according to data from the think tank Paragon Health Institute.
The new regulations, once finalized, will require agents and brokers to use federally-approved forms for verifying enrollee eligibility and to obtain their consent for enrollment.
Theregulationsalso make it clear what action a consumer must take to review and affirm their personal and eligibility information, and to signify their consent.
The rule would clarify which individuals qualify for Obamacare subsidies as “eligible noncitizens,” and would deny subsidies to those who are ineligible for Medicaid due to their immigration status.
Providing cash, cash equivalents, or monetary rebates to influence customers to enroll would be prohibited.
Also prohibited are falsely suggesting that customers would qualify for a zero-premium plan and misleading customers about enrollment deadlines.
Source: ZeroHedge News
