Manatt’s Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, a managing director with Manatt Health, spoke to Bloomberg Law about new bills in Connecticut and Washington that could bring health coverage under state control.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation on May 13 that created a public option set up by the state government. Connecticut may follow with its own similar plan, but it faces significant opposition from insurance providers, including UnitedHealthcare and Anthem.
Brooks-LaSure, who previously served as a policy official in the Obama administration and helped implement the Affordable Care Act, said these bills could be part of a larger health insurance reform plan from Democrats.
“Buy-in and public options are a continuum of the idea of a state being more involved in the delivery of care,” she said.