Another 'illegal' Obamacare delay: Out-of-pocket caps waived until 2015

"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free." ~ P.J. O’Rourke

Delay, delay, delay. But they were in such a rush to pass this in the dead of the night, so what gives? Simple: they passed it before they sold it to voters...and now they're playing pure partisan politics with each approaching election.

Just look at the delays thus far:

First, there was the delay of Obamacare’s Medicare cuts until after the election. Then there was the delay of the law’s employer mandate. Then there was the announcement, buried in the Federal Register, that the administration would delay enforcement of a number of key eligibility requirements for the law’s health insurance subsidies, relying on the “honor system” instead. Now comes word that another costly provision of the health law—its caps on out-of-pocket insurance costs—will be delayed for one more year.

Philip Klein points out that "one of the main arguments supporters of President Obama’s health care law have been making in response to reports of skyrocketing insurance rates for consumers in many states is that at least they’ll be getting more for their money." Well, according to a New York Times report, that's a fallacy too (as most of us knew it would be)...

The limit on out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-payments, was not supposed to exceed $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But under a little-noticed ruling, federal officials have granted a one-year grace period to some insurers, allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014.

The grace period has been outlined on the Labor Department’s Web site since February, but was obscured in a maze of legal and bureaucratic language that went largely unnoticed. When asked in recent days about the language — which appeared as an answer to one of 137 “frequently asked questions about Affordable Care Act implementation — department officials confirmed the policy.

Some other notable tidbits include, “a consumer may be required to pay $6,350 for doctors’ services and hospital care, and an additional $6,350 for prescription drugs under a plan administered by a pharmacy benefit manager.” Also, “Some consumers may have to pay even more, as some group health plans will not be required to impose any limit on a patient’s out-of-pocket costs for drugs next year. If a drug plan does not currently have a limit on out-of-pocket costs, it will not have to impose one for 2014, federal officials said Monday.”

And as Klein concludes, this revelation couldn't come at a worse time for the Obamacare law...

Right now, administration officials right up to Obama are engaging in a furious effort to convince Americans — especially young Americans — to purchase insurance. But one of the major selling points to younger Americans is that even if they’d be paying more for insurance under the health care law, their financial exposure would be more limited in the event of unexpected medical costs due to the law’s consumer protections. Yet if their potential out-of-pocket exposure remains high, what reason will young and healthy Americans who don’t qualify for generous enough subsidies have to purchase costly health insurance?

But even with all the delays, Sen. Rand Paul points out that all the administration's exemptions and delays are 'illegal and unconstitutional' changes without congressional approval. But then, doesn't that epitomize this President?


(FYI, there's more Benghazi revelations revealed towards the second half of this video, as well.)

Is Congress going to do anything about this? Have they thus far? Yet another reason why we need to pursue other constitutional means, folks.

Related links: Obamacare out-of-pocket expense cap will be delayed until 2015 and will be 'a complete disaster' for the president, admits official
Another Obamacare delay: Cap on out-of-pocket costs delayed until 2015