20 Feb 2014 Will Media Cover the Loss of Small-Group Coverage Due to ObamaCare the Way It Covered Loss of Individual Policies?

Up to 20 Million People with Small-Group Coverage May Receive Cancellation Notices

Employees of National Center for Public Policy Research Now Part of Those 20 Million

Washington, D.C. – “Unfortunately, the cancellation of small-group plans may not get the same widespread press coverage that the cancellation of individual policies received late last year,” says National Center for Public Policy Research’s David Hogberg in a new article in the American Spectator, “ObamaCare’s Little Noticed Victims.”

The reason, Hogberg explains, is that small-group policy cancellations will be spread out over most of 2014. By contrast, the cancellation of individual policies was far more dramatic, occurring over a few short months. As a result, the number of cancellation letters for individual policies escalated quickly, thereby keeping the attention of the media.

“The slower pace of small-group cancellations seems to be dampening media coverage,” said Hogberg. “Thus far there have been few stories about these cancellations, even though many have already happened.”

Hogberg speaks from experience as he and the other employees at the National Center for Public Policy Research received letters in January from their insurer, Kaiser Permanente, saying that their health plan would not be renewed come April 1 of this year. Although the National Center for Public Policy Research has had its policy since 1996, it violated ObamaCare’s grandfather regulations.

As the Spectator article notes, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity lost its plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield. According to Erik Telford, senior vice president at the Center, the cancellation has increased the anxiety of the Center’s employees. “Employees are stressed about whether their doctor is included in whatever new plan we get,” he said.

Hogberg notes that the Department of Labor estimated that up to 66 percent of small-group policies could violate ObamaCare’s grandfather regulations. With about 31 million people having small group coverage, that could mean up to 20 million cancellation notices being sent out.

“There are plenty of important stories out there about the impact of ObamaCare on small-group insurance,” said Hogberg. “The media needs to step up its game.”

The National Center for Public Policy Research, founded in 1982, is a non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from individuals, less than four percent from foundations, and less than two percent from corporations. It receives over 350,000 individual contributions a year from over 96,000 active recent contributors.

Contributions are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.

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