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June 20, 2013 at 09:45 AM
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire House and Senate lawmakers moved close to agreement Wednesday on a severely scaled-back version of a bill intended to align state insurance rules with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
The state insurance commissioner had argued that a wide range of changes were necessary to preserve the state’s traditional role in regulating insurance plans. But opponents of the bill cast the original version as an attempt to move New Hampshire toward a state-operated marketplace, something specifically prohibited by state law. In the end, House and Senate negotiators drafted a three-paragraph bill to replace the 15-page original and planned to vote on it Thursday morning after consulting with their peers.
“This is about finding the least intrusive solution, if there needs to be one,” said Sen. Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford.
Under PPACAlaw, new “exchanges,” or health insurance marketplaces, will offer individuals and their families a choice of private health plans resembling what workers at major companies already get. The government will help many middle-class households pay their premiums, while low-income people will be referred to safety net programs they might qualify for. Enrollment starts Oct. 1 with coverage taking effect Jan. 1. After that, virtually everyone in the country will be required by law to have health insurance or face fines.
While the last Legislature passed a law prohibiting the state from setting up its own markets, or exchanges, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan decided in February to have the state partner with the federal government to manage the health plans offered through the markets and to provide consumer assistance. The decision by the first-term Democrat didn’t sit well with Republicans, who have blocked or slowed several efforts to implement the federal law.
“I get that politically, there’s a question and disagreement about moving forward, but this (bill) is specific, it was well thought out,” said Rep. Donna Schlachman, D-Exeter. “I’m struggling with the layer of difficulty you all are having with something I think our carriers, and our markets, are asking us to do so they can go forward.”
The state insurance commissioner has argued that without the original bill, the federal government would regulate all individual and small group insurance products in the state, not just those related to the health overhaul. He and other supporters say that will create confusion for insurance companies and businesses trying to plan their coverage.
