The legislator repealed a tax exemption on HMO’s to fund expected increases in Med-Mal insurance premiums. When questioned about the effect it would have on HMO policyholders the legislators claimed they did not intend for the HMO’s to pass on the increased cost. Of course that’s preposterous and in fact HMO’s did pass the cost onto their policyholders. So what the legislator actually did was impose a 2% tax on HMO policyholders and despite their claim of ignorance, I think they knew it.
In my opinion, the claim that doctors would have to move their practices out of Maryland due to increasing Med-Mal premiums was unfounded and absurd. But the legislator bought this argument and in the end working families were forced to pay increased healthcare costs in order to fund Med-Mal insurance subsidizes to Maryland’s struggling doctors.
And now that the Med-Mal “crisis” is over the money collected by the State to subsidize expected but not realized increases in Med-Mal insurance premiums is not being returned to HMO policyholders but is being diverted into an entitlement program.
This money should be returned to HMO policyholders.
This deal is unacceptable.
The legislator repealed a tax exemption on HMO’s to fund expected increases in Med-Mal insurance premiums. When questioned about the effect it would have on HMO policyholders the legislators claimed they did not intend for the HMO’s to pass on the increased cost. Of course that’s preposterous and in fact HMO’s did pass the cost onto their policyholders. So what the legislator actually did was impose a 2% tax on HMO policyholders and despite their claim of ignorance, I think they knew it.
In my opinion, the claim that doctors would have to move their practices out of Maryland due to increasing Med-Mal premiums was unfounded and absurd. But the legislator bought this argument and in the end working families were forced to pay increased healthcare costs in order to fund Med-Mal insurance subsidizes to Maryland’s struggling doctors.
And now that the Med-Mal “crisis” is over the money collected by the State to subsidize expected but not realized increases in Med-Mal insurance premiums is not being returned to HMO policyholders but is being diverted into an entitlement program.
This money should be returned to HMO policyholders.