Health Insurance Exchanges: The Next Forum for Commercial Health Insurance?
The Facts
Draft health care reform bills circulating on Capitol Hill would seek to expand access to health insurance by creating “health insurance exchanges” or “gateways” (Exchanges) at the state or local level. Qualified individuals and small businesses could purchase health insurance offered by a private entity participating in an Exchange, or, if adopted, a public plan option.
- Covering essential benefits: The draft House “Tri-Committee” bill released on June 19, 2009, would require qualified health benefits plans to cover “essential” benefits through defined benefit packages that would vary by the insured’s cost-sharing obligation. Plan sponsors could elect to offer benefit plans that include additional benefits, such as vision care. The amended Senate bill proposed by Democrats on the HELP Committee would permit sponsors of qualified health plans to provide “essential” benefits through benefit plans with one of three cost-sharing variations. States could require these plans to cover additional benefits.
- Sponsors of Qualifying Health Plans: Both bills anticipate that private entities (including health insurers and HMOs) would participate in the Exchanges by sponsoring these qualified health plans. The House bill contemplates a bidding process with selected entities entering into a minimum one-year contract to offer plans in the Exchanges. The Senate bill would authorize the Exchanges’ administrators to permit participation of “certified” sponsors that are “determined” to offer plan(s) that are “in the interests of qualified individuals and qualified employers.”
What’s at Stake
For health care providers, whether their services would be part of the “essential” benefits defined for these qualifying health plans, and the terms and conditions (including payment) of participation will be key. For health insurers and other managed care organizations, a significant question is the extent to which the conditions of participation in the Exchanges—including mandatory acceptance of all enrollees and participation in the risk-pooling mechanism established for the Exchanges—affect the ability to offer the essential benefits (and any permissible additional benefits) at an affordable rate.
The role of a public plan option, if any, will be critical for all potential participants.
Steps to Consider
Both bills offer general parameters for defining the “essential” benefits, setting provider network requirements, and adopting criteria for qualifying health plan sponsors. The details, however, likely will be addressed through the administrative rulemaking process, albeit in accordance with any requirements included in the final legislation.
