Kasich, other GOP governors ask for more flexibility with exchanges

Gov. John Kasich and 19 other Republican governors sent a letter last week to Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Seblius asking for more control over the health insurance exchanges mandated in the health reform bill (Source: “Health insurance exchanges should be controlled by states, say GOP governors,” MedCity News, Feb. 8, 2011).

According to the letter (pdf, 4 pages), among the requests are for Sebelius to:

• “Provide states with complete flexibility on operating the exchange, most importantly the freedom to decide which licensed insurers are permitted to offer their products.”
• “Waive the bill’s costly mandates and grant states the authority to choose benefit rules that meet the specific needs of their citizens.”
• "Waive the provisions that discriminate against consumer-driven health plans, such as health savings accounts (HSA’s).”
• “Deliver a comprehensive plan for verifying incomes and subsidy amounts for exchange participants that is not an unfunded mandate but rather fully funded by the federal government and is certified as workable by an independent auditor.”