Sunday, March 20, 2011

Is buying health insurance across state lines just a strategy to lower quality?

Allowing states to issue insurance across state lines allows the originator to bypass the regulations of the state being sold to. Since the regulations insure quality; and states with the crappiest quality insurance due to lack of regulation can be the most affordable is this not another example of trading gold for candy as offered by the GOP?
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Actually, no it doesn't States still have the ability to regulate the insurance programs sold in their states, even allowing policies to be sold across state lines. What it means, is that the policies sold across state lines, would have to meet each states currrent regulations. IE: A policy sold in Nevada and California would still have to meet californias state regulations. But what it would do , is expand the policy holder base, IE: the risk base, so premiums would be cheaper. The more policy holders a specific insurance plan has, the more the risk is spread. IE: the more young people who do not use thier benefits will be in the plan, sibsidizing the older people who do use the benefits. 2. Thats what happened with the Wells point plan in Cali, that they wanted to increase the rates 59%. So many young policy holders in Cali, dropped thier coverage, it left more older, sicker people in the plan, without enough younger people to help subsidize the cost. And since the law states, no cross border policies, Wells Point could not very well, subsidize that specific plan, with premiums from policies sold in other states. That plan, has to be self funding, so with less young policy holders, that meant the older policy holders had to pay more, for the same coverage. 3. And thats the crux, States want insurance companies to write state specific insurance policies, but then want the insurance companies to spread the risk, to policy holders in other States, to benefit thier States citizens. And insurance companies are not going to charge people in Nevada more for thier policy, to help subsidize the policy holders in California. 4. just as large corporations can get discounted insurance premiums by the shear volume of thier risk pool, allowing cross state insurance policies, would allow the insurance company risk, to be spread to more policy holders, thus keeping cost down and premiums down.
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