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Status of Health Insurance Exchanges in Michigan
by Theresamarie Mantese and Gregory Nowakowski

On March 23, 2010, the United States Congress passed substantial health care reform (Health Care Reform). There has been much debate in this country over whether Health Care Reform will improve the delivery of health care in the United States. One significant improvement that Health Care Reform was intended to accomplish was to increase access to health care through an expansion of insurance coverage.

Health Care Reform is supposed to increase access by the formation of state health insurance exchanges (by 2014) to facilitate the purchase of insurance for those who do not receive insurance through their employers. The states will run the exchanges and will serve as one-stop shopping centers through which citizens can compare insurance programs. Every insurance program on an exchange will meet new federal minimum coverage requirements.

On November 10, 2011, the Michigan Senate passed SB-0693, called the MIHealth Marketplace Act. This bill is intended to achieve the goal of Health Care Reform by fostering a competitive marketplace for consumers to buy health insurance in Michigan. The bill is currently pending in the Michigan House of Representatives. It appears that there will be no movement on the bill until the final decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of Health Care Reform. Read More PDF

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