Bill Frist: Why both parties should embrace ObamaCare's state exchanges
When the new health care reform law was being debated in 2009 and 2010, everyone talked about "death panels." When challenged in court, everyone debated the individual mandate. After last month's Supreme Court decision, the conversation has now switched to Medicaid. During all of this, however, we have largely ignored what is perhaps the most innovative, market-driven, and ultimately constructive part of the law: State exchanges.
Originally a Republican idea, the state insurance exchanges mandated under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will offer a menu of private insurance plans to pick and choose from, all with a required set of minimum benefits, to those without employer-sponsored health insurance. These exchanges are expected to bring health insurance to an additional 16 million Americans. Unlike the Medicaid expansion, these Americans will gain private insurance, and can choose the plan that's right for them.
http://theweek.com/bullpen/column/230655/why-both-parties-should-embrace-obamacares-state-exchanges
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)Were Frist still in the Senate I'm quite sure he'd be obstructing with all the other senators.
Now, of course, he is out of office and is powerless to do anything but pontificate in the newspaper, making his support just about worthless.
Tony_FLADEM
(3,023 posts)Last edited Sat Jul 21, 2012, 11:58 PM - Edit history (1)
He is showing how extreme the Republicans are for opposing even the exchanges.
elleng
(130,972 posts)Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Since ACA was based on romneycare and many of it's parts are repub ideas. The rant over ACA is because when Bush had Congress they was into spending and starting wars. I am tired of the mandate I have had to pay to cover the uninsured.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)Last edited Sun Jul 22, 2012, 03:49 AM - Edit history (1)
If your state does not set up an exchange then you can participate in the federal exchange which might actually be better. If your state creates an exchange then you may not participate in the federal exchange.
The state exchanges in this sense can be used to artificially fragment the market, reducing people's choice and inflating costs relative to what costs would be under a single exchange.
Republican state governments can also design the state exchanges to make them intimidating or hostile, to try to defeat the spirit of the law. They might try to make it hard to use, or confusing. I am hoping my state does not create an exchange so we can use the federal exchange, for those who need to. I understand states can get money from the federal to create this but that's no big whoop imo.
I don't know, I could be wrong. Is this wrong? Anybody know of any benefit of having 50 separate state insurance exchanges instead of a larger federal exchange? Thanks.
On Edit: just found this article
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/are-federal-exchanges-going-to-bring-down-obamacare/
It says some lawyers found a loophole in the ACA that will deny subsidies to people in the federal exchange. Don't know how true this is. Another wrinkle. A good reason to move to single payer IMO. Get rid of all these rules and loopholes.