Illinois must create a board to oversee the state’s federally-mandated public health insurance exchange by late June if the state wants to access hundreds of millions in federal funds, says Jim Duffett, executive director of the Illinois-based Campaign for Better Healthcare. But Duffett warns that filling the governing board with insurance providers would mean expensive and restrictive choices for consumers.
“If you can’t regulate and negotiate with the insurers, they’re going to be able to charge whatever they want and be able to dictate the terms,” Duffett says.
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Duffett wants the governing board that oversees Illinois’ public exchange to include health experts, consumers, small business representatives, and possibly a representative from the office of the Illinois attorney general. Duffett says insurance providers have no place on the board. He likens the board to a jury, with insurers being attorneys who must convince the jury.
“We want a board that is racially, geographically, culturally diverse,” Duffett says. “We think by having a board like this, it will bring balance. Needless to say, there’s not a consumer lobby that has as many political contributions and as much influence as the insurance industry.”
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Meanwhile, insurers have told the Illinois Health Care Reform Implementation Council, created by Gov. Pat Quinn to oversee federal reforms, that they should have a seat on the board to ensure the public exchange is competitive yet still viable for private insurers.
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-9684-healthy-exchange.html
Hat tip: Illinois Times
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