Not only in earnest, but in 21 states that agreed to let the feds organize their high risk pools. The states that wanted to do it themselves are lagging (and that includes big states like IL, CA and NY) but even they expect to start taking applications over the summer. From the LA Times:
The Obama administration and some state governments will begin accepting applications Thursday for new insurance programs designed to cover people who have been denied insurance because they have pre-existing medical conditions.
These so-called high-risk pools were included in the new health care law to provide relief for some of the most desperate uninsured Americans between now and 2014, when a provision of the new health care law takes effect requiring insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of medical history.
This piece from Noam N. Levey has some nice basic bullets on where, which states, how much, when and even a piece on the Boehner tax:
Who will have to pay the new tanning tax?
The law levies a 10% tax on tanning services, which salons are expected collect from consumers and forward to the federal government.
The law exempts phototherapy services provided by a medical professional for the treatment of dermatological conditions, sleep disorders and other conditions.
The high-risk pools, designed to do away with denial for pre-existing conditions, is one of the most important parts of the law.
In fact, knowledge about it might well be driving this from Kaiser.org:
A majority of Americans express familiarity with a wide range of provisions of the new health reform law. Among the most widely recognized benefits are the subsidies (72 percent recognize these are included in the law), the provisions requiring guaranteed issue (70 percent), and the ability to keep adult children on their parents’ insurance policy until their midtwenties (69 percent). Also widely acknowledged are the major new mandates and penalties for individuals (67 percent) and employers (70 percent). The only listed item that fewer than half the public recognizes as being in the law is the gender parity provision, which prohibits insurance companies from charging women higher premiums than men (48 percent).
More from the poll:
The start of summer finds Americans remain divided on the health reform law, but favorable views of the new law increased seven percentage points over the past month to 48 percent, compared to 41 percent who have “generally unfavorable” views and 10 percent who have yet to make up their minds.
...
Across political party lines, most Americans believe that the disagreements between candidates of both political parties on the merits of the health reform law stem more from efforts to gain political advantage (65%) than from genuine policy differences (29%).
Support for individual elements of the law reported in earlier tracking polls has not slipped; many remain very popular, including on a bipartisan basis. Those with support from strong, bipartisan majorities of Americans include the health insurance exchange (94% of Democrats (D) have a favorable view, 88% of independents (I), and 77% of Republicans (R)), tax credits to small business (89% D, 79% I, 79% R), assistance with the Medicare doughnut hole (96% D, 77% I, 71% R), high-risk pool for those with pre-existing conditions (85% D, 78% I, 67% R), and insurance subsidies for individuals (90% D, 73% I, 63% R). By far the least popular element asked about is the individual mandate, which is viewed favorably by about a third (34%) of Americans.
Support for reforms continues to creep up, and the implementation of popular measures will only aid and abet that process.
Hey, how's that repeal thingie going? Eric Cantor is all in on that.... along with 27% of the public (click for bigger pic.)
No one thinks we're done, but these first steps will be welcomed by Americans in need of care.