Health Insurance Exchange Plan Of Mississippi Rejected

Health Insurance Exchange Plan Of Mississippi Rejected

The US government rejected the health insurance exchange plan of Mississippi recently, and it appears that the opposition of Governor Phil Bryant may be the reason for its rejection.

The US Department of Health and Human Services indicated that the health insurance exchange plan of Mississippi cannot be approved due to the lack of support from the governor. The absence of a formal commitment to facilitate coordination with state agencies is also another reason for the rejection.

An encounter between the governor and the Insurance Commissioner of Mississippi, Mike Chaney has been ongoing on the implementation of the exchange. The exchange is a major provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of President Barack Obama. The law set a January 1, 2014 deadline for states to have their own health insurance exchange.

Bryant has indicated that the system will result to an increased debt for the state due to overstated Medicaid lists. Although Chaney is against the Affordable Care Act, he said that if the system is state-based, it will allow the state to control the insurance market and save both money and jobs.

Chaney was dismayed over the reports about the rejection. He indicated that politics was the reason for the rejection. However, the insurance commissioner said that he will continue his work in creating a state-based exchange system, which will be independent of any federal program.

He reportedly worked on the health insurance exchange for more than one year and it was the basis of some states in creating their own plans.

A state-based exchange will give consumers the capability of comparing plans offered by healthcare providers. If no state-based exchange is created, the federal government will create it the exchange for them.

Mississippi was considered as an excellent candidate in the creation of a state-based exchange by the Health and Human Services Department. States have until February 15 to decide whether they will create their own health insurance exchange.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday February 10 2013, 3:54 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0