Officials: Americans can keep old health plans another year

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to announce that Americans who want to keep their old health plans may do so for at least one year longer than they expected, even if the policies don’t comply with law, according to insurance industry officials familiar with the latest rewrite of federal health care rules.

The decision has become an open secret in insurance and health policy circles.

It marks the second time in four months administration officials have adjusted their rules about health plans that do not include benefits required by the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Last fall, a few million consumers discovered that their noncompliant policies were about to be canceled. A political furor erupted, with accusations that President Barack Obama had broken his promise that people could keep their

“Another day, another delay.”

current insurance.

Obama relented in November, giving states latitude to allow policies to be sold through October, regardless of whether they contain all the benefits required by the law. About half the states have agreed to allow this.

Now, in a step that insurers believe is imminent, Obama’s health care aides will announce that these old policies may continue longer, perhaps one to three more years.

As word of the second extension circulated, White House aides and Health and Human Services Department officials declined to confirm it. HHS spokeswoman Joanne Peters pointed out that when the president announced the first extension, health officials had said they would consider further extending the ability to renew old plans beyond this year.

Peters said in a statement: “The administration has committed to doing all we can to smooth the transition for hard-working Americans. We’ve taken steps already and are continuing to look at options.”

Congressional Republicans who have been trying to derail the law did not wait for the administration’s announcement to begin their criticism.

“Another day, another delay,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.

This comes as the deadline for open enrollment in the health care plan this year nears.

More than 4 million people have signed up for coverage so far through the marketplaces.