Lindeen Fights to Implement
Individual Coverage Mandate
By ALLisoN BeLL
WHILe FeDeRAL LAWMAKeRS fight over the constitutional- ity of the patient protection and
Affordable Care Act, Montana Insurance
Commissioner Monica Lindeen is trying
to persuade lawmakers in her state to let
her continue to implement a ppACA provision that could require many individuals
to own health coverage starting in 2014.
The Montana House recently held a
hearing on Senate Bill 125, a bill introduced by state Sen. Art Wittich, R-Boze-man, Mont., that would prohibit the state
government from administering the federal health insurance purchase requirement
imposed by ppACA Section 1501, which
would require people with incomes above
a certain level to buy a minimum level of
health coverage starting in 2014 or else
pay a penalty.
S.B. 125 would not seek to block imple-
mentation of all ppACA provisions, and
provisions in the bill ex-
plicitly state
that the act
created by the
bill not interfere
with “voluntary
actions taken by
individuals to pur-
chase health insur-
ance or to participate
in health insurance
exchanges” or “thestaterequirement
to purchase motor vehicle liability insur-
ance.”
Lindeen testified during a hearing or-
ganized by the Montana House Human
Services Committee that she believes the
bill conflicts with her constitutional duties
as Montana’s insurance commissioner.
enforcing that provision, Lindeen testified.
But, in addition to keeping
CA Section 1501,
the bill would restrict Lindeen’s involvement in the national
Association of Insurance Commissioners
by prohibiting her from participating in
any nAIC discussions of the individual
mandate for health insurance, according
to officials in Lindeen’s office.
“Being restricted from participating in
nAIC discussions would seriously hinder
Commissioner Lindeen’s and her staff’s
ability to serve Montanans because that
is where her office gains their knowledge
about what is happening on the federal
level and in other states with insurance.” NU
CA Section 1501,
the bill would restrict Lin-
deen’s involvement in the national
Association of Insurance Commissioners
Obama Backs Wyden-Brown
Flexibility Proposal
By ALLisoN BeLL
pReSIDenT oBAMA is throwing his weight behind a bipartisan Senate effort to give states more
room to come up with their own approach
to implementing the Affordable Care Act.
obama announced his support for S.
3958, the empowering States to Innovate
Act bill, earlier this month at a White House
meeting with members of the national
Governors Association (nGA), Washington.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Scott
Brown, R-Mass., along with Sens. Ron
Wyden, D-ore., and Mary Landrieu,
D-La., would, give states the authority to
get waivers from the regular Affordable
Care Act package rules in 2014, rather than
requiring them to wait until 2017.
obama’s efforts are part of a broader ef-
fort to mend fences with Republicans and
skeptical Democrats by emphasizing their
common interest in getting health care
costs under control.
obama noted that one of the biggest
burdens facing the states is Medicaid
costs, and that the biggest driver of the
federal debt is Medicare costs. As such,
he said that states should have the ability
to come up with their ideas for reforming
the health care system, such as setting
benefits standards that fit local conditions and encouraging the use of health
savings accounts.
obama mentioned two existing health
insurance exchange distribution systems
operated by Utah and Massachusetts. Both
states operate very different health insurance distribution exchange programs, and
they can and should be able to continue
to operate the exchanges in their own way,
obama said.
A ppACA “state innovation waiver”
provision lets states propose and test alternative methods for expanding access to
coverage, officials say.
But officials say any states with waivers must maintain “important consumer
protections” against the “worst insurance
company abuses.” NU
