By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Is Your Health Organization Prepared for Accountable Care?
    December 18, 2013
    CMS penalties
    CMS to Begin Implementing Payment Penalties Tied to Patient Outcomes
    July 16, 2014
    Call to Action: America’s Health Rankings Senior Report
    May 20, 2015
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Almost Anyone Can Claim ObamaCare Tax Credits
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Almost Anyone Can Claim ObamaCare Tax Credits
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Almost Anyone Can Claim ObamaCare Tax Credits

John Graham
Last updated: March 11, 2014 9:11 am
John Graham
Share
4 Min Read
obamacare tax credits
SHARE

What to make of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ notice that it will pay out retroactive ObamaCare premium tax credits and cost-reducing subsidies to people who have not yet signed up for ObamaCare?

What to make of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ notice that it will pay out retroactive ObamaCare premium tax credits and cost-reducing subsidies to people who have not yet signed up for ObamaCare?

obamacare tax creditsThe media have reported that these payments will be dished out to people who bought qualifying health insurance outside an ObamaCare exchange because the exchanges have not been working. According to the New York Times, the new policy is a result of the heroic lobbying of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, whose exchange has failed to enroll almost anybody. According to Professor Sara Rosenbaum of George Washington University Law School: “People could have gone to court to obtain benefits denied without due process of law, because of a breakdown in government eligibility systems, and a judge would probably have ordered retroactive relief. The federal government is voluntarily providing equitable relief that a court would have given.”

Well, maybe. But this new executive amendment to ObamaCare does far more than give out subsidies to people who had to buy health insurance off-exchange because the exchanges crashed on take-off. According to the notice:

More Read

healthcare collaboration
The Art of Engagement: A Review
What Healthcare Professionals can Learn from Sales People
Hospitals Competing for Patients
Social Media and Doctors: Q&A with Doximity CEO Jeff Tangney
Reasonable Goals for Health Insurance Coverage and Defining Medical Necessity

First, if an individual…has not been enrolled in any health coverage continuously since January 1, 2014…before a successful eligibility determination is obtained, when he or she receives a determination of eligibility for coverage through the Marketplace and enrolls in a QHP through the Marketplace, the Marketplace may allow for coverage retroactive to the date, established by the Marketplace (emphasis mine), on which coverage would have been effective…For instance, the Marketplace may (emphasis mine) establish an effective enrollment date based on the date that the individual originally submitted an application for coverage to the Marketplace. The individual will be treated for all purposes as having been enrolled in the QHP since the effective enrollment date.

Note that an ObamaCare exchange (“Marketplace”) has the power to decide the effective date. The exchange may decide that the effective date is the date the enrollee first surfed the website. But there is nothing in the notice that would prevent an exchange from establishing January 1 as the effective date for any enrollee.

Combined with the other part of the notice, i.e., that people who bought individual insurance outside the ObamaCare exchanges will receive subsidies as if they had enrolled in the exchanges, I believe we have two takeaways from this latest twist to ObamaCare:

  1. The Administration is so far behind enrollment goals that it feels the need to tell people who have not enrolled that they will not suffer financially.
  2. The biggest winners are the so-called web-based entities, such as e-Health, Inc., which have been lobbying state-based exchanges to allow them to enroll people. The new rule effectively erases the difference between enrolling in an exchange and enrolling via a web-based broker. (At time of writing, eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) stock was up 1.10 percent on the day, versus a 0.72 percent drop in the NASDAQ Index.)
(tax credits for Obamacare / shutterstock)
TAGGED:tax credits
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

digital patient
eHealthMedical EducationMedical EthicsPublic Health

Collaborating with Patients in the Digital Information Age

April 23, 2014

Innovation: Aligning Physicians and Hospitals to Create Sustainable Health Care Delivery

April 22, 2012
eHealthHealth careTechnology

Big Things Are On The Horizon For Blockchain In Healthcare

June 5, 2019
prison infirmary
Health carePolicy & Law

What happens when an inmate goes to the hospital?

February 12, 2021
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?