New Hampshire lawmakers, gave back the $ 1 million in planning grants to the federal government in order to establish a state based exchange. Legislation that would have set up a state based exchange has stalled. Beth Roberts, Vice President of Regional Markets at Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, is disappointed.
"Why not control our own destiny?" she says. "What we need in New Hampshire is different than what another state in the nation needs. By defaulting to a federal exchange we are allowing the federal government to come in define what New Hampshire needs for us rather than building an exchange at the state level allowing us to define that ."
But opponents of a state based exchange say whether or not the state controls the process--ultimately the federal government will have the final say.
"Whether we have a federally implemented exchange or a state implemented exchange the federal government writes all the rules," says Charlie Arlinghaus who runs the Josiah Bartlett Center. "We're essentially just a puppet government."
Republican Rep. Andrew Manuse of Derry has sponsored legislation that would prevent New Hampshire from creating its own health insurance exchange.
"By not establishing a state exchange were saying to the federal government, you passed this mess of a law now you have to figure out how to make it work. Don't rely on the states to fix this law," says Manuse.
http://www.nhpr.org/post/federal-vs-state-health-insurance-exchange-does-it-matter
Hat tip: New Hampshire Public Radio with audio link
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