Missouri Senate Interim Committee Evaluates Exchanges
The Missouri Senate has formed the Senate Interim Committee on Health Insurance Exchanges to evaluate if Missouri should begin building a state based health insurance exchange.
Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care reform law, each state must set up its own exchange where small businesses and individuals can sign up for insurance. If states do not set up their own exchanges (or show development of a viable exchange by January 1, 2013), the federal government will develop the exchange for them – something that Missouri has stated it does not want to happen.
The seven-member interim committee will study several exchange proposals. House Bill 609, considered by the General Assembly this year, would have established the “Show-Me Health Insurance Exchange Act” and passed the House 157 to 0. However, the Senate failed to advance the bill and agreed to study the issue by forming this Interim Committee.