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LCSC to host insurance exchange forum on Jan. 14
Lewis-Clark State College will host a community forum to discuss the issue of an Idaho insurance exchange on Saturday, Jan. 14, in room 100 of Meriwether Lewis Hall on the college campus.
Participants at the session will include Regence BlueShield of Idaho President Scott Krieling, Idaho State Representative John Rusche, and Director of the Idaho Department of Insurance Bill Deal. Butch Alford, president of TPC Holdings and former editor and publisher of the Lewiston Tribune, will serve as the discussion's moderator.
The event, which will feature comments by the participants and a question and answer session, is free and open to the public and runs from 10 a.m.-noon.
A state insurance exchange is a key provision of the 2010 national health reform legislation. Such exchanges will create a new marketplace for each state to offer health benefits to individuals and small businesses. According to the bill, states must have an exchange in place by Jan. 1, 2014. Failure to meet the deadline will result in an exchange being developed and implemented by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Adding to the complexity of the subject is the fact that Idaho is one of 26 states seeking to overturn the health care reform law. The Idaho Department of Insurance was awarded a $20 million grant to create an exchange, however, the Legislature has not authorized the spending of the funds.
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