Smokers may get a break from Obamacare glitch

Posted at MSN.com Reposted at http://www.tobaccodeathray.blogspot.com,

 

Tobacco users are slated to pay penalties under Obama's new health care law, but a computer glitch leads to another implementation delay.

WASHINGTON — Some smokers trying to get coverage next year under President Barack Obama's health care law may get a break from tobacco-use penalties that could have made their premiums unaffordable.

 

The Obama administration — in yet another health care overhaul delay — has quietly notified insurers that a computer system glitch will limit penalties that the law says the companies may charge smokers. A fix will take at least a year to put in place.

Older smokers are more likely to benefit from the glitch, experts say. But depending on how insurers respond to it, it's also possible that younger smokers could wind up facing higher penalties than they otherwise would have.

Some see an emerging pattern of last-minute switches and delays as the administration scrambles to prepare the Oct. 1 launch of new health insurance markets. People who don't have coverage on the job will be able to shop for private insurance, with tax credits to help pay premiums. Small businesses will have their own insurance markets.

Last week, the White House unexpectedly announced a one-year postponement of a major provision in the law that requires larger employers to offer coverage or face fines. Officials cited the complexity of the requirement as well as a desire to address complaints from employers.
For more of this article go to http://news.msn.com/us/smokers-may-get-a-break-from-obamacare-glitch?ocid=ansnews11

Related: Federal govt delays key requirement of Obamacare until 2015
Related: Are non-smokers smarter than smokers?
Related: 1-in-5 US smokers has tried an e-cigarette