Pennsylvania and Hawaii are the only two states in the country that do not have a mechanism in place for the regulation of premium rates set forth by insurers as it applies to their small businesses — a demographic courted heavily by both Republicans and Democrats as players in the final direction of pivotal health reform. The Pandora’s Box cast wide open by the recent Anthem BC scandal is adding a new critical layer of scrutiny not only to Barack Obama’s reform trajectory, but also to the ways in which Insurance market fluctuations influence the overall cost of healthcare delivery and access.

Implications for the these two states are obvious, as government regulatory oversight could go a long way in keeping the relationship between small business and the insurance they purchase an open, transparent, and freely accessible system for consumers of healthcare (patients), giving states’ insurance commissioners added muscle. Alternatively, control of regulatory processes by the federal government could add just another layer of bureaucracy (read: increased administrative healthcare costs to the taxpayer and shifting rising costs to other entities — like Pharma) to an already overburdened HHS Dept. Over the next few days, the unfolding issue of federal gov’t Insurance regulation over state’s private insurance markets will become a hot-button one, adding some eleventh-hour drama to the health reform debate. | LINK

Related Posts Within Doctor Pundit:

1. A Rural MN Hospital’s Decade-Long Struggle to Remain Viable Finally Survives Its Drama When smaller hospitals in rural areas seek relief in tough...
2. Obama’s Dreams of ‘Affordable Health Reform for All’ Dwindle Amid New Reality in Reform Debate The funny thing about 20/20 vision in politics besides its...
3. Sebelius, Obama Blast Wellpoint Insurance Subsidiary’s Decision to Hike Insurance Premiums If Obama ever wished he could tell Insurance to just...
4. McDonalds Corp. Threatens to Pull Health Plan Coverage for Its Employees Just when you thought that the only controversy to emerge...
5. Closer Scrutiny of Insurers’ Rate Review Mechanisms Just Latest Effect of Reform on Managed Care A group of states with a combined population of just...