2012 to-do: Insurance plan

By Peggy Huppert

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Recently, the state of Iowa was awarded a $7.7 million grant to implement the Iowa Health Insurance Exchange. This was great news to thousands of Iowans searching for more affordable health insurance. There's just one problem Gov. Terry Branstad and the Legislature need to address: Iowa doesn't have an insurance exchange to implement or administer.

Health insurance exchanges aim to encourage competition among insurers and give consumers access to a variety of more affordable insurance options. Exchanges are required under the Affordable Care Act and must be established and operational by Jan. 1, 2014. If a state chooses to opt out, the federal government will establish the exchange according to federal guidelines.

Iowa is one of the states challenging key provisions of the Affordable Care Act in the courts. If the ACA is not overturned by the Supreme Court or repealed by Congress, Iowa will have two choices: Comply with the law, or wait for the federal government to do it for us.

From our perspective, the choice is pretty simple: work together in the 2012 legislative session to establish an Iowa exchange that works for every Iowan. The exchange will need to be established during the 2012 session so that we have enough time to implement the details before the 2014 deadline.

Cancer patients in Iowa already have benefitted from the implementation of the ACA. They no longer face lifetime limits on coverage that caused termination of their benefits and cancer care. Children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage. Early detection and prevention services, so critical in our battle against all forms of cancer, are now covered.

More than 1 million young adults, including thousands with cancer or cancer survivors, have gained coverage under their parent's policies.

Every Iowan should have access to affordable, comprehensive health care coverage. Establishing a strong state insurance exchange takes us closer to that goal.

Iowa is home to leading insurance companies, health care reform experts and world-class medical facilities. Working in concert with the Branstad administration and the Legislature, these leaders should be able to devise an Iowa insurance exchange that lowers costs and gives Iowans more insurance options for their families.

The American Cancer Society is part of a broad coalition that supports the following principles regarding the exchange:

l Make it transparent and fair to consumers.

l Structure it to attract healthy people and those with existing medical conditions.

l Offer a variety of options for getting coverage, including the option of purchasing coverage with or without the use of licensed agents or brokers.

l Standardize plan benefits within each level of coverage so consumers can have a true apples-to-apples comparison.

l Integrate the exchange with the state Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance) programs to ensure seamless enrollment.

l Include a robust outreach program, which will be needed to identify and assist the thousands of Iowans with no connection to the private health insurance market.

l Incorporate information on quality and cost of health care, as well as an emphasis on prevention.

l Have a steady source of funding independent from the legislative appropriation process.

Iowans have never waited for others to determine our future. In the 2012 legislative session, we must establish an insurance exchange that meets the unique needs of all Iowans.

Peggy Huppert is Iowa Director of Government Relations, American Cancer Society, Midwest Division, Des Moines. Comments: Peggy.Huppert@cancer.org