Oklahoma Commissioner Touts Microinsurance, Other Ideas for Health Law Reform

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak says microinsurance, the ability to sell health coverage across state lines and increased use of health savings accounts are ideas that should be looked at as lawmakers move forward with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Doak made several suggestions for alternatives to the ACA in response to a request from U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy asking for recommendations.

Doak said microinsurance focuses on low-income populations and has been successful in countries like India. Doak included research from David M. Dror, chairman of the Micro Insurance Academy, on how microinsurance could work in the United States.

Other ideas from Doak include:

• Permitting sale of insurance across state lines under state regulatory enforcement.
• Adopting policies that expand the use of health savings accounts coupled with more affordable, high-deductible health plans.
• Allowing states to enact new health reforms at the grade-school level that incorporate physical fitness and nutrition programs to deter preventable illnesses.
• Letting states determine the age at which a child can remain on his or her parent’s group health plan.
• Enacting legislation that protects consumers from unfair balance billing and surprise billing from individual providers like anesthesiologists, radiologists or medical service companies such as air ambulance and imaging providers.
• Allowing states to pursue innovative health care delivery mechanisms including, but not limited to, telemedicine and the expansion of the technologically-based Project ECHO® for rural America.
• The Oklahoma Insurance Department and Commissioner Doak will be holding town hall meetings throughout the state to talk with Oklahomans about healthcare reform.

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

Topics Legislation Oklahoma