Posted on September 16, 2010 09:12
Categories: Legislative and Regulatory Issues | State and Local | Employer and Individual Insurance
Topics: Access/Barriers | Employer-Sponsored Coverage | Health Care Reform | Individual Coverage | Legislation (National) | Legislation (State & Local) | Rates/Reimbursement | Regulation | Spending | State Data
The Urban Institute released two briefs examining provisions of the national health care reform law affecting interstate health insurance purchases. The first 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. The second brief examines the law’s cost containment measures and suggests that the law will result in a significant coverage expansion without accelerating the rate of health care cost increases. However, the authors caution that the law’s impact on cost containment cannot be accurately assessed for several years.
From the report:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) does include provisions that will allow the purchasing of health insurance across state lines. However, these provisions are structured somewhat differently than earlier proposals advocated by some members of Congress and Senator John McCain during his 2008 presidential run. The differences are intended to protect states with more consumer protections from having those regulations undermined by cross-state sales of health insurance.
1st full report: Does the PPACA Permit the Purchase of Health Insurance Across State Lines? (PDF | 173.87 KB) 
The Urban Institute. (2010). Does the PPACA permit the purchase of health insurance across state lines? Blumberg, L.J.
From the report:
Policymakers used reduced payments to Medicare Advantage plans and many types of Medicare providers to finance about half the costs of coverage expansion. The types of limits put on Medicare payments have been used successfully in the past and, in addition to offsetting the costs of coverage, will extend the solvency of Medicare. Other provisions of the health reform law related to cost containment and quality improvement are less well-tested and, as a result, have greater uncertainty about their likely effects.
2nd full report: What Are the Provisions in the new Law for Containing Costs and How Effective Will They Be? (PDF | 238.58 KB)
The Urban Institute. (2010). What are the provisions in the new law for containing costs and how effective will they be? Zuckerman, S.
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