First Looks at the Delaware Health Insurance Exchange

First Looks at the Delaware Health Insurance Exchange

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Under the ACA, each state is supposed to create and manage a medical insurance marketplace where people who aren't covered by insurance can buy plans. Delaware's Health Insurance Marketplace website went live this AM -- although the details of the exchange and the insurance options on offer are not yet available. I'm mildly surprised that California and NY got theirs up earlier -- I had thought at one time that Delaware was pretty far ahead of the planning curve for planning and implementing this. Which is probably a misconception on my part.

In Which We Find Karen Weldin Stewart Abandoning Delaware Consumers Again

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Back in June, we discussed the actions of KWS to apply for waivers from the medical cost ratio rule for two insurance companies so that they can continue to pay commissions to brokers and sales agents. Since then, HHS has finalized its rule that requires that the costs to pay premiums or other support to brokers and sales agents be categorized as Administrative Costs and therefore included to the maximum 20% overhead allowed by the ACA. Delaware's own Insurance Commissioner voted in a recent NAICS action to vote on a resolution that recommends that Congress exempt the fees insurance agents and brokers from medical loss ratio calculations (pdf) and that HHS revive their rulemaking to exclude brokers and agents from the the administrative costs of insurance companies.