Health payer executives and other insurance experts should be allowed to sit on the boards of health insurance exchanges (HIX), America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) said in comments on the proposed rule.
"Given the scope of the task of designing and implementing exchanges, we strongly support the decision to include insurers and insurance experts on governance boards," Daniel Durham, executive vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at AHIP, and Colleen Gallaher, vice president of state policy at AHIP, wrote in a letter to the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). "Our members have a great deal of experience and operational know-how to offer Exchanges and will be valuable contributors to the governance process."
Should states choose to establish an exchange in an executive branch department, the AHIP representatives suggest those states be required to create an "advisory committee that brings in stakeholder expertise and input, including feedback by insurers and insurance experts," reports LifeHealthPro.
They added that exchanges should "leverage the infrastructure, experience, and expertise of health insurance issuers and should not be required to conduct activities that would be more appropriately handled by health insurers," according to the letter.
Durham and Gallaher also urged HHS to publish the final exchange rules and guidance, as well as any technical specifications needed, as quickly as possible.
To learn more:
- read the AHIP letter (.pdf)
- read the LifeHealthPro article