Monday, November 16, 2009

Government healthcare versus current state's laws

In an interesting article at the LA Times, they look at how the proposed bill for healthcare reform could actually harm some of the consumer rights states have put in place to protect them when it comes to insurance. For instance, in California, they require that insurance companies cover second surgical opinions, and breast reconstruction surgeries for breast cancer patients. This could affect consumers when insurance companies are allowed to sell insurance policies across borders.

According to the article, said Kris Haltmeyer, Blue Cross Blue Shield policy director, believes that establishing a minimum level of benefits at the federal level could mitigate some states receiving health insurance plans that aren't completely up to par.

What do you think about this? Will insurance companies being allowed to sell policies across state borders affect the quality in some places? What does this mean for the consumer?




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