Legislative Proposals Negatively Affect Healthcare Policy

03.03.2017
Issues & Policies

The legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee heard a number of bills March 2 that could have a negative impact on Connecticut healthcare policy.
With federal healthcare policy in flux, some lawmakers are focused on adopting certain aspects of the federal Affordable Care Act into state law.
And while certain aspects of the ACA may have support, they should not be adopted in a piecemeal fashion.
That’s because healthcare policy is complex, and adopting one-off measures won’t ensure a comprehensive healthcare strategy for Connecticut.
Instead, they could lead to a fragmented patchwork of potentially conflicting provisions.

Medical Loss Ratio

For example, the committee is considering SB 879, which adopts a stricter version of the ACA’s medical loss ratio into state law.
MLR sets into law how much insurance companies are allowed to spend on administrative work and how much they spend on medical care.
However, adopting MLR without analyzing how it relates to other aspects of the ACA is concerning. And, SB 879 adopts a different MLR, adding to the confusion.

SB 879 adopts a different medical loss ratio than the ACA, adding to the confusion.

Other bills on the agenda drive at the same questions.
CBIA urges lawmakers to take a step back and look at healthcare policy as a comprehensive system.
This calls for prudent analysis to keep an eye on the whole picture.
Discussing only component parts of federal law leaves out the important comprehensive discussion of how each piece relates to to the other, risking unintended results for employers and employees.


For more information, contact CBIA’s Jennifer Herz (860.970.4404) | @CBIAjherz

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