Is Child Insurance Health Reform’s First Unintended Victim?
Before the Affordable Care Act was voted on, we were told that congress needs to pass the bill before we can know what’s in it. Now that the first of its provisions have been implemented, we not only know what’s in it, we are getting a bitter taste of the ACA’s unintended consequences. In fact, the ACA could possibly have the tragic effect of preventing the most vulnerable among us from be able to get affordable insurance. The major health insurers have thrown cold water on one of the act’s mandates that all children have health coverage. Because of the potential increase in costs the insurers would incur if they were forced to accept children with preexisting conditions, the insurers have announced that they will no longer issue child-only policies. Their larger concern is that act requires the insurers to accept children into their plans no matter when or if an adverse medical condition develops, meaning that, if a child develops an ailment today, the insurer would have to provide co
