The Insurance and Financial Services Committee in Maine will soon receive a report on the topic of a state healthcare exchange as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. An advisory panel has worked for months to assemble data and legislative recommendations.
The bill being proposed allows the exchange to certify health plans, determine individuals' eligibility and maintain services such as toll-free hot lines which provide assistance to those purchasing coverage. Enrollment in health plans would be assisted by industry stakeholders.
The Public News Service recently reported discussion of the health exchanges has stalled in Missouri, where some state senators argue the ACA is unconstitutional. According to the Act, states have until 2014 to implement their own exchange.
Should they fail to do so, the federal government will establish one instead. In Missouri, the Senate Interim Committee on Health Insurance Exchanges is scheduled to deliver a recommendation before the end of this year.
According to Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance executive director Andrea Routh, opponents of the exchange system are seeking to avoid its implementation. She told the news source they believe the Supreme Court will overturn the Affordable Care Act, resolving the issue.
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to establish a healthcare exchange. These nonprofit exchanges are mandated to demonstrate sustainability and self-sufficiency by 2015.
