WALL STREET JOURNAL: …The latest delay came Wednesday, when federal officials said insurance companies could continue selling plans that don’t meet the law’s more rigorous standards until 2016 in some instances. It was the second time the administration delayed that requirement after the law’s tougher standards prompted insurers to cancel millions of people’s health plans last year. The latest delay averts another raft of cancellations before this year’s midterm elections…
Employers are largely sitting on the sidelines after the Obama administration twice delayed the law’s requirement that larger firms provide coverage or pay a fee. The rule was supposed to take full effect this year, but was first delayed until 2015 and now won’t kick in until 2016 for many firms.
Fewer Americans are expected to gain coverage under the law thanks to its troubled rollout, legal challenges and Republican opposition in many states. Problems with the HealthCare.gov insurance enrollment site initially discouraged consumers from signing up. About half of states have opted not to expand Medicaid eligibility under the law after the Supreme Court ruled they weren’t required to do so, leaving millions of low-income Americans with no subsidized options for gaining coverage… (more)
