EDITORIAL: Lower health insurance rates are welcome, but what now?
The state
A strong economy and lower utilization of medical services contributed to lower premiums, but the state's two-year,
Those unhelpful moves to destabilize the individual market include
Complicating that is the end-of-2019 sunset of the state's provider tax, which provides the largest flow of dollars to the
This state health care finance cliff is one of the most serious challenges awaiting a new governor and legislators. Regrettably, it's been overshadowed by whether or not a candidate supports a single-payer-style health care system like those in
Answers are needed early in 2019 on whether to extend reinsurance or find alternative measures to help consumers. Is there a more efficient way to provide this aid -- for example, direct rebates to consumers vs. payments to insurers?
And if reinsurance or aid like it is extended, how will it be paid for if the provider tax switches off? Are there other mechanisms to pay for it, such as an assessment on insurers? "Most state reinsurance proposals, and the ACA temporary reinsurance program, are financed by assessments on health insurers," said
Lawmakers also ought to consider whether a MinnesotaCare buy-in program is a more sustainable long-term solution to help consumers who buy on their own. MinnesotaCare, enacted in 1992, is a public program that covers people who make too much for traditional medical assistance but not enough to comfortably afford private coverage. Gov.
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