Friday, April 1, 2011
A new report, “The Massachusetts and Utah Health Insurance Exchanges: Lessons Learned,” released March 31 by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute and colleagues at the Center for Children and Families suggests that, as other states begin the hard work of creating their own health insurance “exchange” marketplaces, Utah and Massachusetts – the two states that established exchanges before enactment of the Affordable Care Act – both offer valuable lessons. “Utah’s leaders will make additional decisions over the next few years that will have consequences for decades to come. They will decide whether Utah’s exchange offers coverage parents can afford and whether consumer protections – including those specifically designed to protect kids – actually work,” said Voices for Utah Children Executive Director Karen Crompton.
The Utah Exchange is currently not a viable alternative for other states, because it:
- Does not provide subsidies to make coverage affordable;
- Does not set minimum benefit standards to ensure quality care and deliver real value for premiums dollars; and
- Allows insurance companies to charge much more for the same coverage for people with health conditions like asthma and cancer
To read the Voices for Utah Children press release, click here.
Voices for Utah Children • 747 East South Temple • Suite 100 • Salt Lake City, Utah 84102