EDITORIAL: Seeking health-care insurance across state lines

April 12--A frequent refrain of those seeking to overturn Obamacare is that its replacement should take away the right of states to regulate health-insurance benefits their residents receive.

President Donald Trump recently expressed a desire to allow "Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across state lines." Such a system, he added, would foster "a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care."

It's an unusual posture for Republicans, who typically prefer granting states more power and the federal government less. However, if structured properly, it might be a better way to deliver quality and affordable health insurance to Americans. Might, we said.

If done poorly, it would create a race to the bottom where customers end up with cheaper-but-less generous plans offered in states where health coverage is lightly regulated. For example, consider that Alabama doesn't require insurers to cover a popular and widely used treatment for autism. It is one of only five states where coverage isn't mandated.

And that's a potential problem in a national system. Crossing state lines to buy an Alabama-based policy that doesn't cover autism treatment might be popular until customers need this type of coverage and it might increase the cost of plans that do cover this type of therapy. Neither outcome is good for the public.

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