Health
Health Exchange policies will cost less than feared
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Despite dire warnings from industry executives, health-insurance companies aren’t proposing dramatic rate increases for those who buy policies through N.M.’s Health Insurance Exchange.
New Mexico In Depth (https://nmindepth.com/tag/the-health-care-debate/)
Despite dire warnings from industry executives, health-insurance companies aren’t proposing dramatic rate increases for those who buy policies through N.M.’s Health Insurance Exchange.
The state health insurance marketplace board has approved paying a contractor an unexpected $7.5 million to help tens of thousands of New Mexicans without health coverage learn in coming months about finding insurance.
New Mexico In Depth partner KUNM-FM interviewed two NMID staffers earlier this week about tension between government agencies over the creation of the state’s health insurance exchange. And The Santa Fe New Mexican opined on the issue.
Days ahead of an application deadline for $20 million in federal funding, the N.M. Human Services Department seized control of the request from the state’s independent Division of Insurance last month, documents and interviews show.
More than 1,500 critically ill New Mexicans were guaranteed health coverage through the end of this year Friday when the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool Board of Directors voted unanimously to underwrite costs for the small population of New Mexicans.
The federal government wants to move the critically ill population into a new health coverage plan as of July 1. The new plan, however, could push health coverage out of reach for many by raising deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, state officials say.
More than 1,500 critically ill New Mexicans could face obstacles to medical coverage for the last six months of the year due to a dispute between federal and state officials over how much Washington will pay to underwrite coverage for the population.
A state board on Friday voted unanimously to negotiate with a California company to develop the framework for a marketplace New Mexicans will eventually use to purchase health insurance.
Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law Thursday legislation that will create a state health exchange for New Mexico. According to some estimates, the exchange should help half of the state’s more than 400,000 uninsured residents eventually purchase health insurance.
The quickest way to unify people fighting over what a state-run health exchange would look like is to mention a federal takeover. But the window for keeping the federal government’s hands off NM’s exchange is starting to close.