Analysts warn of dangers in ObamaCare automatic re-enrollment - VIDEO: Automatic re-enrollment could spell trouble

After the rocky rollout last fall of the ObamaCare website, the administration wants to re-enroll those already in the system in hopes of avoiding another technological embarrassment.

But analysts warn that just blindly re-enrolling could mean trouble for consumers.

“This notion of just sit back and re-enroll is really misleading and I think could cause a lot of harm to people,” said Bob Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates.

“The automatic renewal, it’s easy, it will keep people getting ObamaCare,” added Rosemary Gibson of the Hastings Center. “But you have to trust but verify. You have to go look. You just can’t be on automatic pilot for health insurance.”

That’s because of the way subsidies are determined. They’re pegged to the cost of the second lowest silver level plan, but that cost is likely to change and with it, the subsidy a consumer would get.

“Everyone’s going to have differences in their subsidies,” Laszewski said. “The vast majority really probably need to change plans in order to continue with the same out of pocket premium. And they’re not going to know if their premium has changed unless they go in and re-enroll.”

Said Gibson, “What’s the different costs and what are the different benefits? Have they upgraded the benefits? Or, have they dropped providers in this case of health care, out of the network?”

Jim Capretta of the Ethics and Public Policy Center noted that “a lot of people aren’t even clear yet whether their physician or the services they typically need will be covered by the plans they’ve been given through the exchanges. So if they’re automatically enrolled in perhaps a subpar plan for their needs, that doesn’t really help them going into 2015.”

In addition, there is always the question of which doctors and hospitals are included in any given plan.

Health economist John Goodman explained, “And those networks leave out the best doctors, they leave out the best hospitals, a lot of those plans charge you extra if you need an expensive drug for your cancer treatment, for example.”  

Jim Angle currently serves as chief national correspondent for Fox News Channel (FNC). He joined FNC in 1996 as a senior White House correspondent.

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Analysts warn of dangers in ObamaCare automatic re-enrollment - VIDEO: Automatic re-enrollment could spell trouble

Increased water restrictions as dry spell continues

Jamaicans are being warned that the protracted dry spell affecting the country is likely to worsen and as a result, National Water Commission (NWC) consumers will face more stringent supply restrictions.

On Wednesday, Water Minister, Robert Pickersgill, told the House of  Representatives, that a prohibition notice on the use of  water will be issued by this weekend.

“On the washing of vehicles, the watering of lawns and filling of swimming pools among other activities, persons may be taken before the resident magistrates court and may be directed to pay a fine”.

He also gave an update on the decline in inflows to the two major facilities serving the Corporate Area.

“Storage levels at the largest two reservoirs, the Hermitage Dam and the Mona Reservoir are 83% and  37% respectively and are falling daily. The Hermitage dam is heavily silted  and only 30% of its design capacity is useable. Inflows from the Yallas River are now at 5.5 million gallons per day, down from its peak of 18 million gallons per day while the Hope River is at 2.6 from a high of 30-million gallons per. 

Meanwhile, with the NWC reducing output, Pickersgill is promising that alternative measures will be in place for customers to receive water.

“We will be trucking water to the most affected areas through the Rapid Response Programme. As of tomorrow we will be making available two eight thousand gallon trucks to take water to persons in Clarendon. In South St. Elizabeth, in addition to the allocation of funds for the trucking of water we will also be dispatching three eight thousand gallon trucks for the trucking of water,” Pickersgill said.

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Increased water restrictions as dry spell continues