PPACA: HHS Starts to Set Up Exchange System 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled a request for comments on ideas for designing the health insurance exchange system required by the Affordable Care Act.

Officials at the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO), a new arm of HHS, are asking for ideas about topics such as setting standards for the health plans qualified to participate in the exchange system, factors that might increase the number of plans that participate in an exchange, and how information about health insurance ought to be conveyed to consumers.

“What kinds of information are likely to be most useful to consumers as they determine whether to enroll in an exchange and which plans to select (within or outside of an exchange)?” OCIIO officials ask. “What are some best practices in conveying information to consumers relating to health insurance, plan comparisons, and eligibility for premium tax credits, or eligibility for other public health insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid)? What types of efforts could be taken to reach individuals from diverse cultural origins and those with low literacy, disabilities, and limited English proficiency?”

OCIIO officials developed the exchange system request for comments to begin implementation of Title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a component of the Affordable Care Act package.

The request for comments is set to appear in the Federal Register

• • 7/29/2010 5:31:18 PM
  • Thomas Izzo
  • exchange design
  • Why not keep every thing as is, and use the health agents working in the country now to deliver the product. You have the finest sales force in America, whom allready have the expertise to do the job. You could use the health brokerage houses that have been in business for years and the brokers who use them. ( Make Sense ) I have a plan if some one wants to listen.
• • 7/29/2010 5:57:38 PM
  • ga patterson
  • PPACA
  • "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher
• • 7/29/2010 8:31:41 PM
  • don Wilson
  • Healthcare reform distribution
  • I suggest the state departments of insurance use state certified licenced health insurance agents and brokers to provide health insurance products to citizens the same way medicare and state mandatory assigned risk auto insurance is provided.
• • 7/29/2010 8:59:00 PM
  • MoJo
  • Exchange Design
  • Insurance brokers represent individuals and companies not the insurance carriers! As Thomas indicated, there is no need to build something new when we already have a brokerage system that works very well. Individuals will still need brokers to figure out the exchange and its options but broker commissions from this will likely be so minimal (if any) and it won't be worth their time!!! Just another way to waste tax payor dollars and in the process put a lot of insurance brokers out of business. More unemployed, shrinking middle-class!
• • 7/29/2010 11:12:06 PM
  • Brad Thibodaux
  • Health exchanges distribution
  • Licensed insurance agents are currently giving advice to the public regarding how to obtain information regarding Medicare and Medicaid. Agents also help people make educated decisions regarding the purchase of health insurance and help them with the application process which is usually difficult for people to accomplish without help. Agents who are in the business of selling health insurance usually have ads in the yellow pages offering their services. Agents would be a tremendous help to people attempting to make educated decisions on which plan would best suit their situation.
• • 7/30/2010 12:09:07 AM
  • K. Sides
  • Exchange System
  • Here's an idea. Let's "Exchange" it. Meaning, let's not do it. We're talking about the government here. It is going to be a complete disaster and everyone knows it. Yet we will continue down this road and continually change and tweek it until it becomes something akin to the failed Medicare. Yes, some of you reading this will probably write in about how we need to give it a chance, or it's about time we do something. What's the purpose of this exchange anyway? Are they trying to offer an easier way for people to get insurance? Are they trying to make it easier for people to know what their options are? What do they think the purpose of the insurance agent is? Is that not what we do for a living? It seems to me that the only reason for doing this exchange is so that people will not have to talk live with someone. To ultimately get rid of the agent. Why do you think the insurance companies are all for this? You can bet your bottom dollar that is exactly where we are headed. Sorry I'm so negative, but no, I don't want anything to do with "Exchanges".
• • 7/30/2010 8:32:39 AM
  • Keith
  • HHS and Exchange System
  • You want a comment? Here's one: why don't you start by forgetting about "diverse culteral origins" and "limited English proficiency" and require participants, who all should be American citizens, to learn English!
• • 7/30/2010 9:58:37 AM
  • GJT
  • exchange design
  • in business the plan and design is in place before something is rolled out.
• • 7/31/2010 3:41:50 PM
  • Nadia Hoots
  • Ideas for exchange system
  • The best solution is to repeal obamacare which will cost more and offer less.
• • 7/31/2010 3:56:16 PM
  • West
  • Repeal Health Care Reform
  • This country is on a fast track to European style socialism or perhaps something much worse. We have seen government takeover of the auto industry, banks, health care,student loans, etc. What's next on the progressive democrats plate? Cap & Tax and blanket amnesty of illegals! Without any doubt these socialists ultimately want a single payer system . The majority of Americans do not want higher costs, rationing of health care, etc. The Health Care Reform bill will be yet another governmental financial disaster. Our only hope is to have this bill repealed !
• • 8/2/2010 5:50:15 PM
  • Joel Rutledge
  • State pools again?
  • Most states have P&C insurance pools or "state plans" that are underwritten by the insurers participating in that state. These typically are for the high-risk only, and are higher premium, with lower benefit. A "pool" concept by state or region of the U.S. might be a helpful tool, but will likely end up as a "state plan" redux. More oversight and rate restriction will be necessary in order to insure affordability, but at the risk of lowering the competitive factors that provide better rates, better service and increased consumer choice. The "pool" concept might still be the best model to use, but unless the consumer has access to a licensed, commissioned insurance agent, they have little chance of getting the information they need to make a valid decision about their health coverage options. Clearly, any model used should utilize an agent-only model, instead of a misguided "internet access" model of delivery.
• • 8/3/2010 10:01:44 AM
  • Paul E. Rifenberg
  • Health Care exchanges
  • The necessity of Health Care Exchanges became a completely irrelevant issue once it was established that there would be NO public, government-run option. Licensed, professional health insurance agents are MORE than qualified to provide all the services these exchanges were designed to do, and will do it better, more efficiently, and without wasting even more tax dollars to do so. IF it is to be that we are forced to use them, then it is imperative that agents formally be affiliated with these Exchanges, and that requests for services be "farmed out" to those agents who are qualified. ANY other protocol will fail.

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