Unintended, but Totally Predictable, Consequences

Even though this action was a totally predictable response to the incentives we set up, it's unwarranted and unnecessary.

Last April, I posted on how the health care law passed by Congress would likely cause some insurance companies to drop coverage of children. I was a little off. Two insurance companies in Florida aren't dropping coverage for children who already have coverage: they're just refusing to cover children who don't already have coverage. I should have predicted this because the main thing insurance companies want to protect themselves against is people gaming the system by waiting until their children get sick and then buying coverage. If the children are already covered, renewing their coverage makes the gaming problem much less.

And how did the U.S. government respond?

Jessica Santillo, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, decried the decision by private health plans. 'We're disappointed that a small number of insurance companies are taking this unwarranted and unnecessary step,' she said."

Update: Belated hat tip to National Center for Policy Analysis, "What Does Health Reform Mean for You? A Consumer's Guide," p. 15

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