Health Insurance Exchange Update: Friday, October 19

With November less than a month away some states are completing their exchanges, some waiting, and some still undecided. Today we look at Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

 This week Colorado, small businesses were assured that by 2014, their employees would have both flexible benefits and more insurance options. Patty Fontneau, executive director and CEO of the exchange, assured residents that the exchange will allow them options, not limit or minimize what they have now. “This is a Colorado concept,” she said. “And it will allow more transparency, more data. And if you use a broker, then you can still use one. It’s just easier to look at options. This type of plan just brings more power and more control to small businesses across the board. There are a number of tools that will be available, a number of choices. Businesses can choose any carrier.” Colorado will also continue to allow any small business that is currently using a broker now to use one in the exchange.  

In Pennsylvania, insurance commissioner, Joel Ario, urged the state to set up their own exchange. "I started thinking of the states as speedboats, racing around, zig-zagging, trying things, failing, trying something else," he said. "That's why it would really be a travesty if states don't actually step up and do their own exchanges, because they will be so much better at it than the federal government can be." Pennsylvania was granted over $33 million dollars to set up an exhange, and they have less than a month to set it up. By 2014 all states must have an exchange in order.

Some executives in Maryland are praising the health insurance exchange, citing that it has even improved their employee morale. If state officials have their way, about half of the roughly 730,000 Maryland residents without health insurance will obtain coverage by 2020. A key mechanism to make that happen is the state’s health care exchange, which will operate as a facilitator to small businesses and individuals seeking coverage, Rebecca Pearce, executive director of Maryland’s exchange, said Wednesday during a forum at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. The health insurance exchange will actually allow residents to choose a plan that suits them online, not take their insurance away. They will have more control and be able to compare and contrast a plan that works best for them, but they can't do that without working together first. 

Want to learn more about the health insurance exchange? This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Wednesday, September 19

State flag of Kentucky

While some states are outgrowing their original health insurance exchange plans, other companies are partnering up to help make insurance's move to the health insurance exchange system easier.  As deadlines loom - each state faces different decisions.  What will each state do for health insurance?

In New Jersey, the Senator Nia Gill (D-Montclair), Senator and Dawn Marie Addiego (R-Medford) and Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-Delran) discussed how they implement a health insurance exchange in a state where Governor Chris Christie vetoed the creation of it. New Jersey Biz has a more in depth look at what at the challenges that New Jersey is facing.

A recent letter from Pennsylvania’s Insurance Commissioner, Michael Consedine to the HHS shares that they haven't made much progress in Pennsylvania in terms of their own state run exchange. His concerns follow that of many states - that not enough guidance in creating a state exchange has been given by the federal government. It also shares Consedine's concern for the current insurances in the state as well as the worry that the state won't be able to support the Exchange by 2015 according to the Public Health Esquire blog.

In Kentucky, a nineteen member health insurance exchange board has been created to guide the state in creating an exchange.Governor Steve Beshear. The board includes major hospitals and advocate groups. They will review policies and make recommendations for the exchange according to WFPL.

And finally, Xerox and HealthPlan have teamed up in order to make adopting the different state exchanges easier. The new agreement will allow insurances to comply with all exchanges without having to individually change their settings according to each state according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Want to learn more about the health insurance exchange? This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!