The Puget Sound Business Journal reports that The state Health Care Authority (HCA) said it plans to ask private insurers to help it create a coverage option that anyone in the state could buy for about $100 a month. The agency will issue a request for proposals to the insurers asking how much they would charge for a benefit package outlined by the agency. Based on the bids, the agency would determine what premium insurers may charge for the package. Insurers who figure the premium would not cover their claims and administrative expenses could choose not to participate.
Washington State has an estimated 875,000 uninsured people that the HCA is hoping to open up coverage for. Opponents of the proposal say that state regulations deny private insurers the right to offer comparable policies to the HCA plan and would destroy the individual insurance market. Some lawmakers have introduced legislation to changes these regulations but legislative observers expect this legislation to run into stiff opposition from Democrats who control both the House and the Senate.
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