Mississippi opts out of running new health insuance pool
WASHINGTON — Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has decided that his department will not run a new program to provide health coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions, meaning that the federal government will now decide how to manage it.
“Our bottom line was that there were so many uncertainties … ,” Chaney said in an interview. “Personally, I think it’s designed for failure.”
The “high-risk” insurance pools, which are supposed to be in place within two months, will be among the first noticeable effects of the federal health care overhaul signed into law in March.
Under the legislation, the pools are a temporary step until the beginning of 2014, when insurance companies may no longer deny coverage because of a person’s previous medical history.
Mississippi already has a state high-risk pool funded by premiums and assessments on insurers, Chaney said. But coverage can be expensive and the program insures only about 3,500 people.
GulfLive
5/5/10
