NYS Small Group or Individual Health Plan?

somarco · 11-03-2009, 07:17 AM

ability to buy health insurance across state lines the feds wouldn't have to trump the states on regulating insurance, the plans would just have to be regulated by the states in which they're licensed, regardless of where the insured resides. It's not a perfect solution, but I think it could help a lot of folks who don't have more affordable options.

How?

models like Medicare Supplements so folks could compare apples to apples

Since Med supps are standardized, do seniors make up their own mind and buy direct? Do they ever have questions about plans?

Term is about as vanilla as you can get but consumers still make poor decisions.

MedicarePlanSolutions · 11-03-2009, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by somarco

How?

Because they could be health underwritten and not pay the same rate as a 60 year old diabetic that has cancer.

Originally Posted by somarco

Since Med supps are standardized, do seniors make up their own mind and buy direct? Do they ever have questions about plans?

I don't understand what point you're trying to make. I'm not suggesting there isn't a need for agents, but if your contention is that plans are too complicated and buying across state lines would only further confuse the issue, carriers having standardized plans could help clear that up. The best part of that is it wouldn't even have to be government regulated, in theory the AHIP or another organization like that could put out what the standard plans are and carriers could, at their option, build plans around those models and help make the process simpler.

somarco · 11-03-2009, 04:13 PM

Buying health insurance across state lines will do nothing to make health insurance more affordable. Those who promote this concept, including the folks in Congress, don't understand the current system.

A lot of things have to come together for interstate sales, including the lifting of various state mandates. If you do that, there is no reason to sell (or buy) across state lines. Carriers already domiciled in crazy states like NY with enough mandates to choke a horse will be able to offer lower cost alternatives without inviting out of state intruders.

Selling across state lines in itself does nothing to make health insurance affordable.