State of Iowa urges providers not to refuse care to CoOportunity patients

[Omaha Steve]

Source: OMAHA WORLD HERALD

By Steve Jordon

The State of Iowa urged doctors, hospitals and other health care providers in Nebraska and Iowa on Wednesday not to refuse services to people who are insured through financially troubled CoOportunity Health and to submit claims as usual.

The notice by the Iowa Division of Insurance also said that insurance agents and brokers will not be paid commissions for their work in signing up thousands of Nebraskans and Iowans; that payments to health care providers will come less often; and that pharmacy prescriptions will be paid for only 31 days from now.

The steps are part of the state agency’s effort to “rehabilitate” CoOportunity, which has a weakened financial position because of unexpectedly high claims and the lack of expected financial support from federal agencies under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The Iowa agency took over management of CoOportunity last week, and both states banned it from selling or renewing policies.

Despite the financial troubles, the Iowa notice said, policyholders should continue paying premiums to keep their insurance in effect until they arrange for coverage from other insurance companies. It urged group and individual policyholders to find new coverage because CoOportunity faces liquidation if it can’t recover its financial soundness.

FULL story and related at link.

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CoOportunity Health started in 2013 with close to $150M in federal loans


Read more: http://www.livewellnebraska.com/consumer/state-of-iowa-urges-providers-not-to-refuse-care-to/article_85be6857-5785-5473-9c29-a2adb0fc5801.html

[radhika]

1. The tragedy of depending on for-profit heathcare.....

The people who need it most are left stranded - or begging for pity care - when the profits fall. The corporations must be kept safe - at all costs.

[cynzke]

3. In The Case of Health COOPs....

They are consumer owned, trying to compete with the insurance big boys who have used their influence with congress to legislate against coops, take them out of competition.

"Consumers may have not heard much about co-ops as an option, because opposition from the insurance industry forced the government to offer loans instead of grants to the co-ops, and to forbid co-ops from using any loan money to market their businesses." (strong arm of big business influencing our legislators against our interests) Read more in link.


ttp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/19/coops-poised-as-new-insurance-option/4292657/

[Recursion]

4. Baucus's proposal was based on state co-ops

I always thought it was a decent idea; I'm not sure why it didn't go anywhere.

[Babel_17]

2. Ugh, people will have to start from scratch with their co-pays

Ugh, people will have to start from scratch with their co-pays. Also, it seems that outfit was the only place for some small businesses to get subsidized heath care plans.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2014/12/29/cooportunity-crisis-cost-members-thousands/21011761/

Hopefully the outcome of this, besides nobody getting really hurt, is a better, simpler, way to offer similar coverage. I see the real take way as being the nation is finally taking a comprehensive look at how heath insurance works. And that's because our party insisted on it.