Idaho’s health insurance dispute comes down to the meaning of just 1 word
That could be the pivotal question for
Gov.
Those state officials -- relying on legal opinions including those written by lawyers for
For one thing,
But federal health officials on Thursday sent a letter to let
The letter from
Otter, Little and Cameron on Friday responded to news coverage of the letter, saying that it wasn't "a rejection of our approach" but instead was "an invitation ... to continue discussing the specifics of what can and cannot be included in state-based plans."
Scroll to the end of this report to read their full statements.
'NOT OUR PREFERENCE' TO STEP IN
The letter was almost apologetic about upholding a law the Trump administration hates, and it offered sympathies to
Further, any health insurance company that "fails to comply" with the law "may be subject to civil money penalties" that could reach
She wrote that
When states don't enforce the law, she wrote, the federal government has to step in.
"This is certainly not our preference; we believe that
She pointed to the Trump administration's efforts to promote certain non-ACA plans, such as short-term limited insurance. Cameron has told federal health officials he doesn't think those plans are as good for consumers, or have as many consumer protections built into them, as the "state-based" plans would.
The rest of the letter is a detailed chart contrasting
Under the "state-based" plans, insurers wouldn't have to cover as much of a patient's medical costs. They could charge sick people higher premiums. They could set a steeper price curve between young and old people. And they could cap a customer's medical claims at
With those changes, healthy customers could see a big drop in premiums -- which the officials promised would lure healthy, middle-class Idahoans back into the insurance pool.
IN THE WORKS FOR A YEAR
The proposal didn't come out of thin air. Otter sent a letter pitching the idea last March to former
"I'm asking that
Otter listed several of the regulatory changes that
"One carrier is ready to proceed as soon as they feel comfortable that they will not be penalized," he wrote. "Other carriers are preparing and will quickly follow."
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