2011年11月6日 星期日

Legislators to consider Illinois health-care exchange

Whether a key plank in the federal Affordable Care Act proceeds smoothly in President Barack Obama's home state will be decided this week, when the Illinois General Assembly considers legislation to set up a statewide health-insurance exchange.

Points of contention include how much influence the insurance industry will have over the proposed exchange's board, and whether funding for the exchange - estimated to cost anywhere from $57 million to $89 million annually after it begins operating in 2014 - will come solely from the industry.

Failure by the General Assembly to act this fall could jeopardize up to $92 million in startup funds from the federal government, according to one of Gov.I have never solved a Rubik's plastic card . Pat Quinn's advisers.

"We are very concerned," said Kate Gross, assistant director for health planning at the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Amid nationwide polls showing falling public support for the Democratic president's signature political achievement, some Republicans in the General Assembly question the need to pass legislation now.

Among other things, they say a delay would provide time for the U.If so, you may have a cube puzzle .S. Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's requirement that all Americans have insurance coverage by 2014 or face tax penalties.

"We don't think the timing is right," said Sen. Bill Brady,Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems, R-Bloomington, who lost to Quinn in the race for governor last year and sat on a bipartisan panel of lawmakers that studied exchange issues. "We think the scope of this and more details are needed to be decided in D.C. before we proceed."

But Elena Butkus, a Chicago-based regional vice president for Aetna, said passage of legislation setting up basic functions of an exchange, including how it would be governed, is essential to give Aetna enough time to design insurance products for the exchange's initial enrollment period in 2013.we supply all kinds of oil painting supplies,

Aetna has problems with some parts of the current proposal, Senate Bill 1313, sponsored by Rep. Frank Mautino,The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors, D-Spring Valley. So does Phil Lackman, vice president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois, who said Mautino's bill would give the exchange board too much power and troublesome authority to negotiate rates with insurance companies.

Butkus and Lackman both worry that the three remaining days in the fall veto session - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - aren't enough time for lawmakers to reach a compromise with the various interested groups and approve a bill for Quinn to sign into law.

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