Health News
- Beshear Tells Feds He Plans To Create An Insurance Exchange
Gov. Steve Beshear. Photo by The Courier-JournalGov. Steve Beshear has re-confirmed his plans to create a state health insurance exchange, this time telling the federal government of his intention. Beshear sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary...
- What Is The Illinois Partnership Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to have a health insurance marketplace (otherwise known as a "health insurance exchange"). Originally, the plan was for each state to establish its own health insurance marketplace, or default to a federally-run...
- Making The Grade: A Scorecard For State Health Insurance Exchanges
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance, health insurance premiums have risen on average 181 percent since 2005. This could be the week action is taken in Illinois to fix our health insurance marketplace for Illinois families and small businesses....
- Illinois Could Create A Whole New Competitive Health Care Marketplace
Earlier this week, a new report was released that highlights how Illinois policy makers can address rising health care costs by implementing an effective health insurance exchange. The federal reform law requires states to create health insurance...
- Effective Exchange Key To Lower Health Insurance Costs For Illinois Families
It?s hard not to notice the out-of-control health insurance cost increases in recent years. Three out of every four individual-market policyholders saw a premium increase from early 2009 to early 2010. Small businesses are particularly hard hit....
Health News
Former head of Massachusetts health exchange says it's better to offer fewer, well-defined plans than set general criteria
With Kentucky stakeholders discussing their options to set up a state-run health insurance exchange ? something Gov. Steve Beshear said last week he intends to do if the Affordable Care Act is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court ? research shows the fewer plans offered in the exchange, the better.
An article in Health Affairs says officials should follow the lead Massachusetts' health-reform system when creating their own exchanges. "A hands-on exchange with the power to set standards on top of the federal health-care law will help prevent consumers from being 'overwhelmed' by the process of buying insurance," reports Sam Baker for The Hill's global affairs blog.
The Health Affairs article's lead author, Rosemarie Day, is a former deputy director of the Massachusetts exchange. She said consumers prefer choosing from "a handful of carefully vetted, clearly described health-care plans," Baker reports. The model used in Utah to allow any plan that meets criteria to be featured in the exchange is less popular, the paper found, but was more popular among conservatives.
"Findings from consumer research emphasized the value of limiting insurance plan choices on the exchange," the analysis states. "Specifically, early focus groups showed that consumers wanted four to six carrier options at 'low, medium and high' benefit levels." (Read more)
An article in Health Affairs says officials should follow the lead Massachusetts' health-reform system when creating their own exchanges. "A hands-on exchange with the power to set standards on top of the federal health-care law will help prevent consumers from being 'overwhelmed' by the process of buying insurance," reports Sam Baker for The Hill's global affairs blog.
The Health Affairs article's lead author, Rosemarie Day, is a former deputy director of the Massachusetts exchange. She said consumers prefer choosing from "a handful of carefully vetted, clearly described health-care plans," Baker reports. The model used in Utah to allow any plan that meets criteria to be featured in the exchange is less popular, the paper found, but was more popular among conservatives.
"Findings from consumer research emphasized the value of limiting insurance plan choices on the exchange," the analysis states. "Specifically, early focus groups showed that consumers wanted four to six carrier options at 'low, medium and high' benefit levels." (Read more)
- Beshear Tells Feds He Plans To Create An Insurance Exchange
Gov. Steve Beshear. Photo by The Courier-JournalGov. Steve Beshear has re-confirmed his plans to create a state health insurance exchange, this time telling the federal government of his intention. Beshear sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary...
- What Is The Illinois Partnership Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to have a health insurance marketplace (otherwise known as a "health insurance exchange"). Originally, the plan was for each state to establish its own health insurance marketplace, or default to a federally-run...
- Making The Grade: A Scorecard For State Health Insurance Exchanges
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance, health insurance premiums have risen on average 181 percent since 2005. This could be the week action is taken in Illinois to fix our health insurance marketplace for Illinois families and small businesses....
- Illinois Could Create A Whole New Competitive Health Care Marketplace
Earlier this week, a new report was released that highlights how Illinois policy makers can address rising health care costs by implementing an effective health insurance exchange. The federal reform law requires states to create health insurance...
- Effective Exchange Key To Lower Health Insurance Costs For Illinois Families
It?s hard not to notice the out-of-control health insurance cost increases in recent years. Three out of every four individual-market policyholders saw a premium increase from early 2009 to early 2010. Small businesses are particularly hard hit....