Kansas group proposes new state-wide health care co-operative

[patrice]

Last edited Sun Sep 23, 2012, 02:57 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.kansas.com/2012/09/23/2500935/wichita-group-proposes-new-statewide.html

The Affordable Care Act, the federal law that remains politically controversial even after the Supreme Court upheld most of its requirements, contains a provision for the establishment of health care co-ops in all 50 states.

The Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program will “foster the creation of qualified nonprofit health insurance issuers to offer competitive health plans in the individual and small group markets,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“It is an opportunity to design something from the ground up, provide new competition in the marketplace and to provide insurance to those who are uninsured,” said Anne Nelson, associate executive director for Central Plains Health Care Partnership, an affiliate of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County, which has been leading the charge for the Kansas Health Cooperative, Inc.

The co-op would be consumer-driven and operate much like a credit union or farming co-op run for and by its members, Nelson said. It would offer at least three coverage options, and individuals would be able to use online resources to compare plans within the co-op and with other private insurance providers.