GA Health Exchange Legislation Delivered
March 5th, 2011 Posted in GA Health Insurance, GA Health Insurance Exchange, PPACARepresentatives Smith and Meadows just brought to the Georgia House of Representatives legislation that begins the process of establishing state sponsored health insurance exchanges in Georgia. Click here to view a draft of the bill.
Georgia is considering two health insurance exchanges. The first is geared to provide affordable individual health insurance and the second coverage to small groups. Laymen generally think of an exchange as solely a web portal used to quote, compare and purchase health insurance. In reality they encompass a great deal more – they determine eligibility to various government welfare programs, provide administrative functions to aggregate premiums from policyholders and subsidies from the government, etc.
Ryan Teague, Deputy Executive Counsel at Office of Governor Nathan Deal, said, “This legislation is a product of our own internal efforts, with excellent input from the stakeholder community, to get the ball rolling on exchange implementation. The bill essentially creates the governing board of a Georgia exchange and tasks the board with direct involvement with a stakeholder advisory committee, with delivering legislation and an action plan to the Governor and General Assembly prior to the start of the 2012 legislative session.”
Given recent court rulings – and impending challenge in the US Supreme Court – the condition of PPACA is dynamic to say the least. With the introduction of this legislation the state of Georgia is ensuring that it stays in the game. To do otherwise would be detrimental to the interest of all Georgians as their hard-earned dollars would be sucked up to Washington DC through the Federal health exchange.
This is not to say the Georgia exchanges will be a panacea. That jury hasn’t even convened. But, under the circumstances the introduction of this legislation is a prudent move.
