There is no such thing as “encouragement” from your local building inspector. When the inspector “encourages” you to do something, you do it, because if you don’t, you likely won’t get your permits. This is true to varying degrees with every inspector, regulator or overseer that has legal authority over you. They can’t make “requests” because their word is the voice of legal authority.

So, when the head of HHS “encourages” insurance companies, over which she has vast regulatory authority, to accept payments late, issue policies retroactively, or “help out”, she is not making a request. Whether she knows it or not, she is playing the mafia don, suggesting “something bad might happen” if they don’t comply.

Sadly, the insurance companies are sometimes complying with what boils down to extortion.

This article (also here) points to the latest in a long string of these incidents.

This is corruption, and should be seen for what it is.