WASHINGTON – July 11, 2011 – “The proposed regulation builds a detailed framework that affords states the flexibility to tailor their health benefit exchanges to meet the needs of their populations, as the law intended. But with that flexibility comes a responsibility for states to create exchanges that meet the wide-ranging needs of people with cancer and other life-threatening chronic diseases.
“We hope and expect that the final rule will include more specifics that define the minimum standard for an effective exchange, but states setting up their own exchange will bear the ultimate responsibility for building a consumer-friendly portal that brings true competition into the health insurance market.
“States will need to resolve key issues for their exchanges to effectively increase access to quality, affordable health care. These issues include:
• Exchange governance: The exchange governance boards should be structured so that board members do not have conflicts of interest and board deliberations are transparent and open to public comment.
• The outside market: The rules for the insurance market outside the exchanges should complement those that apply inside the exchanges so that outside plans cannot sell policies under more favorable terms and cherry pick the healthiest consumers.
• Integration with Medicaid: State Medicaid programs should be well integrated with the exchanges to ensure seamless enrollment for those most in need.
• Administrative simplicity for consumers: Exchanges should make information such as premium rates, benefits and enrollment forms easily available to consumers.
• Exchange funding: Exchanges should have a consistent and stable source of funding so they are not vulnerable to the often unpredictable legislative appropriations process.
• Purchasing authority: Exchanges should be empowered to select which plans they offer and to limit exchange participation to high quality plans.
“States will need to ensure that different components of the exchanges work well together to produce the consumer-friendly marketplace that the law intended.”
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Steven Weiss or Alissa Havens
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5711 or (202) 661-5772
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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