The Urban Institute released a brief examining measures in the national health care reform law that govern the purchasing of insurance across state lines.  The brief explains the law’s interstate insurance purchasing provisions, comparing the law’s provisions to previous proposals for cross-state purchasing.   The authors note that the law requires all states to meet minimum insurance regulation standards and explain that states must form compacts with one another if they wish to allow residents to purchase insurance across state lines.

From the report:

Interstate sales of health insurance are permitted under PPACA, but only between states entering into explicit joint insurance compacts developed for this purpose. The law’s minimum levels of insurance regulations, which will apply to all states and its limitation of cross-state sales to those joining compacts, will provide greater consumer protections than would have been the case under prior proposals.

Full report: Does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Permit the Purchase of Health Insurance Across State Lines? (PDF | 174KB)

Urban Institute.  Does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act permit the purchase of health insurance across state lines?  Blumberg, L.