LANSING, Michigan — Senate Health Policy Committee Minority Vice Chairman Michael Webber has introduced a bill to establish a review commission to study the impact of proposed state mandates on health care insurers that exceed essential health benefits required by the Affordable Care Act to ensure health care remains affordable in Michigan.
“As the state legislature debates important legislation that could cover benefits beyond the federal scope, we have a duty to balance those discussions with cost in mind and keeping health care accessible to Michiganders in need,” said Webber, Rochester Hills.
“Health insurers are under constant pressure to reduce health insurance premiums. Further consideration of the impacts of current and proposed future coverage mandates is needed to ensure health insurance remains affordable for Michiganders.”
Webber said Senate Bill 921 would create a mandate review commission within the Legislative Council to examine:
- The social and financial impacts of imposing a proposed health benefit.
- The medical effectiveness of mandatory health insurance coverage, including recommendations from clinical studies or major peer-reviewed medical journals.
- The effects of balancing social, economic and medical efficiency considerations, including the extent to which the need for coverage outweighs the costs of mandating a health insurance benefit.
“Health insurance premiums are a direct reflection of provider, facility and drug costs, and a mandate review commission would provide the oversight needed to reduce unnecessary costs for employers and individuals,” Webber said.
The Mandates Review Commission would also be responsible for conducting evaluations of existing health insurance mandates.
Under Webber’s proposal, the review committee would include the heads of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a sitting lawmaker appointed by each quadrant leader in the House and Senate and industry representatives appointed by the Legislative Council.
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