Dr. Jitesh Chawla feels that health insurance exchanges are a honest attempt to fix all the on-going problems with trying to provide the proper access and coverage to Americans that were created by insurance companies. But, like any new initiative, there are kinks that need to be worked out as this article explains.
The Health Insurance Exchanges, central pieces of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), opened as scheduled on October 1 amid debate in Congress and a government shutdown over the future of the law. The launch of the Exchanges along with open enrollment for Americans came just after the government released premium rates for 33 federal Exchanges.
Technical Problems in Accessing Exchanges
Consumers seeking online access to federally-facilitated Exchanges (FFE) faced intermittent outages and error messages throughout the first day of enrollment. Some state-based Exchanges, including those in California, New York, Maryland and Colorado had similar issues with their websites. Traffic to these sites was very high, leading many of the sites to slow down considerably. Similarly, those seeking assistance by phone also encountered long wait times.
Many proponents of the law, including those who are helping to develop the Exchange systems, have warned of glitches as the Exchanges roll out over the next several months. Many of these predictions proved accurate as large numbers of Americans logged on to the Exchange websites to browse coverage options. As initial curiosity over the Exchanges subsides in the coming weeks, it will be easier to more accurately assess the functionality of the websites.
Rates Announced
On September 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released an issue brief outlining the premium rates in the 36 states with either an FFE or a partnership Exchange. Since data concerning premium rates is complex and ambiguous, supporters of PPACA hail the rates as a success for the health reform law, while opponents view them as a major failure.
The issue brief outlines the number of Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) offered in each state and the average premium rates that enrollees would pay for different plan tiers. Average premium rates are detailed for a 27-year-old (before and after tax credits are assessed), and a family of four with a specified income of $50,000 per year. Rates for the lowest bronze, silver, gold and catastrophic plans as well as the second lowest silver plans are described. The average number of QHPs offered in the 36 states is 53 with as many as 106 plans offered in Arizona and as few as seven in Alabama.
Update: On October 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted premiums for over 17,000 plans being offered in the 36 states where the federal government is operating an Exchange. The premiums are listed for different geographic regions, age groups and different family sizes. Metal levels and plan type information is also provided. This list provides people the ability to compare plans within and between states. Click here to access this resource.
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