Area lawmakers concerned insurance rate reductions won’t help Greater MN
Rep.
Specific details on health insurance plan pricing won't be released until mid-October and open enrollment starts
Only two insurance companies,
In
Regardless, total insurance costs have skyrocketed compared to five years ago. An older couple paying more than
That works out to an unfair deal for outstate residents.
"It's just not working with so few options," Munson said.
Individual health insurance rates appeared to have stabilized heading into 2018 due to the
"Make no mistake -- too many people are still priced out of the market, nothing has been 'fixed,' and there are tough decisions ahead," Sen.
Lawmakers earlier this year looked into several smaller reform measures, including a bill Munson championed to make hospital procedure pricing more transparent and another measure allowing some companies to sell so-called catastrophic insurance plans -- which often only cover major health emergencies -- back onto
Area lawmakers hope to address more health care solutions during the 2019 legislative session. Munson would like to see more interstate market competition for insurance plans as well as more price transparency on common prescriptions from pharmacies.
Rep.
There's one thing Munson and Considine both agree on: the state needs to pivot away from reinsurance pools if it wants to decrease overall health care costs.
"We just spent a tremendous amount of money, we gave it to the insurance companies and we got pennies on the dollars," Considine said. "It doesn't do anything for the deductibles."
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