Health Insurance Cos. Look to Drop Clients

As a small businessperson, I have often shared my trials and tribulations with healthcare with you all. Aside from brilliant analyses based on the economics of healthcare, I've tried to give my readers a window into the real world of how government meddling in healthcare actually turns out. First, I let you know just how bad it is here in New York where we've test driven the concepts that are now enshrined nationally via ObamaCare. Next it was what happened to my insurance premiums on the heels of ObamaCare's passage.

The latest is that my insurance company is looking for an excuse to cancel our policy. I kid you not, on the same day that I read in the WSJ that insurance companies are looking to shed small employer plans, I get this email:

Starting with September 1, 2011 bills, small groups (2-50) will not be eligible for reinstatement if they are terminated for non-payment of their monthly premium bill.

This means if Empire does not receive the premium payment due by the 30th day after the due date shown on your group bill, the policy will be automatically terminated with no reinstatement rights. To be clear, Empire will no longer grant discretionary reinstatement if we do not receive payment in full by the 30^th day of the group's grace period.

If you are so much as one day late with your payment, they can cancel you. Not that this is a major injustice, but it clearly is a way for insurance companies to start culling their rolls and woe betide the small business makes that mistake - they'll likely not be able to find replacement insurance at even close to similar rates. This is a first small step in the devolution of the private insurance market that ObamaCare was designed to bring about. Hope and Change. Enjoy America.