Yesterday the Maryland Senate and House passed nearly identical 76-page bills to further implement the state Health Benefit Exchange. Although a wide range of stakeholders supported this legislation, which was sponsored by Governor O’Malley, dozens of amendments had been requested regarding the role of brokers, the licensing and certification of Exchange Navigators, and the rules governing the Exchange and private insurance markets. Administration representatives worked diligently to resolve the concerns. See some of our earlier posts regarding these issues.
The Maryland Chamber also supported the legislation, and was successful in persuading the committees to tighten provisions authorizing the Exchange Board to selectively exclude health insurance carriers from the Exchange after 2016. Before exercising such authority, the Exchange will have to submit a detailed plan to the respective Senate and House committees before a General Assembly session, and wait 90 days before proceeding. This will allow the General Assembly to intervene in the event that the Exchange takes an action that unduly restricts competition. The bills should pass shortly. For further information contact Ron Wineholt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
About Ronald W. Wineholt