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Colorado’s health insurance exchange: controlled by Feds, limited choice

From the Citizen’ Council for Health Freedom:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released its first set of proposed regulations on the American Health Benefits Exchanges required under President Obama’s health “reform” law. The deadline for public comments is September 28, 2011. In its announcement on the proposed rules, HHS officials claimed that exchanges:

  • are state-based competitive marketplaces;
  • will offer individuals and small businesses the same affordable insurance choices as members of Congress; and
  • will provide Americans clout.

However, the claim that exchanges are “state-based” is countered by 811 uses of the word “require” in the first set of proposed regulations …

Trumpeting the advent of the exchanges, the administration said Monday that they would “give Americans the same insurance choices as members of Congress.” However, in response to questions after a news conference on Monday, health officials acknowledged that this claim was not necessarily correct.

Under the rules, an employer may allow employees to choose any health plan at a given level of coverage. But an exchange may also allow an employer to limit its workers to one or two health plans – far fewer than the number available to members of Congress and other federal workers.

The claim that exchanges are competitive “marketplaces” with choice and clout is also challenged by the fact that the law outlaws catastrophic major medical insurance and limits insurance options in the exchanges to managed-care plans.

Read more, with references: Countering HHS Doublespeak on Health Insurance Exchanges.

See also: State Health Insurance Exchanges Will Impose Federal Control