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INSURANCE/MARKET REFORMS: HELPING INDIVIDUALS, SMALL BUSINESSES OBTAIN COVERAGE

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Building on the Pathway proposal, BCBSA supports several reforms that would help individuals and small businesses obtain health insurance and assure that everyone is covered.  These reforms would build upon the current employer-based health insurance system where more than 160 million Americans currently get their coverage.  They include:

State Insurance Marts
To address the challenges individuals and small businesses face when purchasing health coverage, BCBSA supports the creation of State Insurance Marts (SIMs) – a central point in each state where individuals and small groups could compare coverage options and apply for policies and subsidies.  In addition to simplifying the coverage selection process, SIMs would:

  • Provide a less costly, less complex and faster alternative to a new federal bureaucracy such as a “connector” or “exchange” and enable states to continue their longstanding role as regulators of health insurance markets; and
  • Encourage transparency and competition by enabling consumers and small businesses to compare all plans in a state on price and other important factors.


Insurance Reforms
To assure that everyone is covered, BCBSA supports a strong, effective “individual mandate” requiring everyone to have health insurance coupled with a “guaranteed issue” requirement for insurers to offer coverage to everyone regardless of health status.  By requiring everyone to have coverage, with federal subsides to make it affordable, insurance will work as it should – spreading risk across a broad population.  In the absence of such a mandate, young and healthy individuals are likely to forego coverage, leaving higher-risk people in the system and raising premiums for everyone.

BCBSA Policies and Positions

BCBSA Senate Health Care Reform Issues (updated 12/3/09)

BCBSA’s Recommended Exchange Model/SIMs (updated 6/11/09)

BCBSA One-Pager: State-Based Exchanges (updated 8/3/09)

BCBSA’s Position on Government Program (updated 8/4/09)

BCBSA One-Pager: Insurance Reforms (updated 8/3/09)

BCBSA’s Position on Individual Mandate/Guaranteed Issue

BCBSA Position on Preserving the Employer-based System

Other Resources
Thinking about Healthcare Reform: Key Facts

Study: Government-Sponsored Health Insurance Purchasing Arrangements: Do They Reduce Costs or Expand Coverage for Individuals and Small Employers?”