Consumer should be able to purchase health coverage from any insurer they like, even if that company is not licensed in their state, Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., said Thursday. [@@]
Shadegg's comments were made at a press conference touting H.R. 4662, a bill he has introduced that would let consumers look across state lines when buying their health coverage.
Although H.R. 4662, the Health Care choice Act, would blur the lines between the states, the bill would not hand responsibility for insurance regulation to the federal government and would leave enforcement to state regulators, Shadegg said.
Shaddeg said he has met with state insurance commissioners, and while they were "not thrilled" with the bill, he reported that they viewed its focus on state enforcement as a positive.
Consumer protections "are pretty much the same" between states, Shadegg said. He pointed out that financial requirements for ensuring the soundness of a health insurer "are virtually uniform across the country." However, he noted that there are differences in the requirements for policies between the states. Some of those are "phenomenally expensive and unnecessary" and make the cost of health insurance in one state significantly higher than it would be in neighboring states, Shadegg said.
