Cross posted at Dirigo Blue
Maine's new health insurance reform law enacted by the Legislature this spring (
24-A MRSA Chapter 54-A) created a high-risk pool, known as the Maine Guaranteed Access Reinsurance Association. Essentially, people with expensive chronic illnesses can be pushed off their current coverage and into the high-risk pool, which is administered by the State.
What is of interest is that many parts of Chapter 54-A are taken verbatim from model legislation crafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This in-depth primer on ALEC will provide background on the organization, but is short it is a group funded and run by corporations and conservative interests that writes bills that are then given to like-minded legislators to introduce in their home states.
The model legislation on which Chapter 54-A is based can be found here. Here are some comparisons:
From Section 2 of the ALEC bill:
(E) “Insurer” means any entity that is authorized in this state to write health insurance or that provides health insurance in this state. For the purposes of this act, the insurer includes an insurance company, nonprofit health care services plan, fraternal benefits
society, health maintenance organization, third party administrator, state or local governmental unit, to the extent permitted by federal law any self insured arrangement covered by Section 3, Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. Section 1002), as amended, that provides health care benefits in this state, any other entity providing a plan of health insurance or health benefits subject to state insurance regulation, and any reinsurer or stop-loss plan providing reinsurance or stop-loss coverage to a health insurer in this state.
And Chapter 54-A §3952.6.:
"Insurer" means an entity that is authorized to write medical insurance or that provides medical insurance in this State. For the purposes of this chapter, "insurer" includes an insurance company, a nonprofit hospital and medical service organization, a fraternal benefit society, a health maintenance organization, a self-insured employer subject to state regulation as described in section 2848-A, a 3rd-party administrator, a multiple-employer welfare arrangement, a reinsurer that reinsures health insurance in this State, a captive insurance company established pursuant to chapter 83 that insures the health coverage risks of its members, the Dirigo Health Program established in chapter 87 or any other state-sponsored health benefit program whether fully insured or self-funded.
From Section 7.(B) of the ALEC bill:
(2) enter into contracts that are necessary to carry out this article including, with the approval of the commissioner, entering into contracts with similar pools in other states for the joint performance of common administrative functions or with other organizations for the performance of administrative functions;
(3) sue or be sued, including taking any legal actions necessary or proper to recover or collect assessments due the pool;
(4) institute any legal action necessary to avoid payment of improper claims against the pool or the coverage provided by or through the pool, to recover any amounts erroneously or improperly paid by the pool, to recover any amount paid by the pool as a mistake of fact or law, and to recover other amounts due the pool;
And Chapter 54-A §3955.2.:
B. Enter into contracts as necessary or proper to carry out the provisions and purposes of this chapter and may, with the approval of the superintendent, enter into contracts with similar organizations of other states for the joint performance of common administrative functions or with persons or other organizations for the performance of administrative functions;
C. Sue or be sued and may take legal actions necessary or proper to recover or collect assessments provided in section 3957 due the association;
D. Take legal actions necessary to avoid the payment of improper claims against the association or the coverage provided by or through the association, to recover any amounts erroneously or improperly paid by the association, to recover amounts paid by the association as a result of mistake of fact or law or to recover other amounts due the association;
From Section 9. (Option One) of the ALEC bill:
(A) For the purposes of providing the funds necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the pool, the board of directors shall assess member insurers at such time and for such amounts as the board finds necessary. Assessments shall be due in not less than 30 days after prior written notice to the member insurers and shall accrue interest at twelve percent per annum on and after the due date.
(B) Each insurer shall be assessed in an amount not to exceed Two Dollars ($2.00) per covered person insured or reinsured by each insurer per month.
(C) The board shall make reasonable efforts designed to ensure that each covered person is counted only once with respect to any assessment. For that purpose, the board shall require each insurer that obtains excess or stoploss insurance to include in its count of covered persons all individuals whose coverage is insured (including by way of excess or stoploss coverage) in whole or in part. The board shall allow a reinsurer to exclude from its number of covered persons those who have been counted by the primary insurer or
by the primary reinsurer or primary excess or stoploss insurer for the purposes of determining its assessment under this section.
And Chapter 54-A §3957.:
1. Assessments. For the purpose of providing the funds necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the association under section 3955, the board shall assess insurers at such a time and for such amounts as the board finds necessary. Assessments are due not less than 30 days after written notice to the insurers and accrue interest at 12% per annum on and after the due date.
2. Maximum assessment. The board shall assess each insurer an amount not to exceed $4 per month per covered person enrolled in medical insurance insured, reinsured or administered by the insurer. An insurer may not be assessed on policies or contracts insuring federal or state employees.
3. Determination of assessment. The board shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that each covered person is counted only once with respect to an assessment. For that purpose, the board shall require each insurer that obtains excess or stop loss insurance to include in its count of covered persons all persons whose coverage is insured, in whole or in part, through excess or stop loss coverage. The board shall allow a reinsurer to exclude from its number of covered persons those who have been counted by the primary insurer or by the primary reinsurer or primary excess or stop loss insurer for the purpose of determining its assessment under this subsection. The board may verify the amount of each insurer's assessment based on annual statements and other reports determined to be necessary by the board. The board may use any reasonable method of estimating the number of covered persons of an insurer if the specific number is not reported.
Looks like Maine Republicans took the opportunity to double the $2 fee that ALEC suggested.
Feel free to look for other similarities - let us know what you find.