Joel Ario Comments on Missouri's Health Insurance Exchange Plans

"Federal Government Will Start Setting Up Missouri's Health Exchange"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

November 12, 2012 - Manatt's Joel Ario, a managing director with Manatt Health Solutions, spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about what he predicts Missouri will eventually do with regard to its health insurance exchange. 

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Missouri voters passed on November 6 a ballot measure that bars Governor Jay Nixon's administration from starting work on an insurance exchange, and since the State Legislature hasn't acted, Missouri will miss the federal government's deadline to submit proposals. It's therefore likely that the federal government will start setting up Missouri's exchange, but state leaders and health experts are leaving open the possibility of converting it to a state-based program down the road.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 16 states have indicated that they will create their own exchanges, and 16 others are still studying options. Three states, including Illinois, are planning for partnership exchanges.

Ario told the newspaper that states likely will face pressure to adopt the exchanges.

"The insurers in the states are pushing hard on the states to do it," he said.

Ario said Missouri Republicans likely "see the writing on the wall."

"I think at the end of the day, if Republicans in that state are given enough flexibility . . . eventually they're going to come around," he said. "The pressure will continue to grow because there will be red states that are filing for state-based exchanges."

Ario said because of the polarizing nature of the healthcare law here, Missouri may be a prime contender for some form of waiver from the federal government. Ario said President Barack Obama has embraced the waivers as a way to bring states on board with the mandate and promote innovation in the states, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Read the article here.