A state run health insurance exchange is redundant at best and a complete waste of taxpayer money at worst. The primary function of an insurance exchange is to simply provide a marketplace where individuals can compare insurance policies offered in their state. Most health insurance agents and brokers are already providing this service and consumers have no shortage of ways to compare and purchase health insurance. Through sites like ours at http://www.insuranceninja.com (and many others), visitors can compare, quote, and even enroll right on-line with or without the assistance of an insurance agent. Why do we need a government run marketplace for consumers to shop for health insurance? One of the primary arguments for state run insurance exchanges is that since some consumers will be using subsidies to purchase insurance they’ll need to do it through a government run marketplace. I’m not sure how that makes sense. I use the food stamp analogy. The government provides food stamps (SNAP) to many individuals and families, but those individuals can go to almost any grocery store in the country and use their SNAP debit card to purchase food. That system has worked for 40+ years and I don’t see retailers, consumers, or even the government calling for a state run grocery store to help consumers use SNAP.
A state run health insurance exchange is redundant at best and a complete waste of taxpayer money at worst. The primary function of an insurance exchange is to simply provide a marketplace where individuals can compare insurance policies offered in their state. Most health insurance agents and brokers are already providing this service and consumers have no shortage of ways to compare and purchase health insurance. Through sites like ours at http://www.insuranceninja.com (and many others), visitors can compare, quote, and even enroll right on-line with or without the assistance of an insurance agent. Why do we need a government run marketplace for consumers to shop for health insurance? One of the primary arguments for state run insurance exchanges is that since some consumers will be using subsidies to purchase insurance they’ll need to do it through a government run marketplace. I’m not sure how that makes sense. I use the food stamp analogy. The government provides food stamps (SNAP) to many individuals and families, but those individuals can go to almost any grocery store in the country and use their SNAP debit card to purchase food. That system has worked for 40+ years and I don’t see retailers, consumers, or even the government calling for a state run grocery store to help consumers use SNAP.
Dennis Carlson
http://www.insuranceninja.com
http://www.bespokebenefits.com