Why CT’s health insurance exchange needs to negotiate

CT’s health insurance exchange is not planning to negotiate with insurers to improve value and control costs for consumers. As of January 2014, consumers will be mandated to secure coverage. Consumers eligible for affordability assistance must purchase in the still developing exchange to get the subsidies. Massachusetts’s exchange (the Connector) negotiates, termed active purchasing, with insurers saving consumers $16 to $20 million annually. In contrast, Utah’s exchange does not negotiate with insurers but includes any qualified insurer, as the CT exchange is planning, and premiums are HIGHER inside the exchange than in the outside market. There is some disagreement about whether the Board and the Qualified Health Plan Committee have already made the decision. No public comment was solicited on the issue and the decision memo was posted a day after the QHP committee meeting. For more on the issue, go our Policymaker Brief.