GU-The Massachusetts and Utah Health Insurance Exchanges: Lessons Learned

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Georgetown University Health Policy Institute researchers examined three key areas of the Massachusetts and Utah exhanges: the quality and choice of plans, the affordabiltiy of coverage, and the ease of enrollment. The researchers gathered selected "lessons learned" from both exchanges:

  • It's not an "either-or" chocie between the Massachussetts model and the Utah model
  • Policymakers must consider exhanges' interactions with broader insurance market rules
  • Exchanges can be effective market innovations
  • Exchanges require the participation of both consumers and health plans
  • Effective "active purchasing" requires market knowledge and nimbleness in the face of consumer demands
  • You get what you pay for
  • Exchanges without associated subsidies can do little to make insurance more affordable
  • A "defined contribution" model for employer-sponsored coverage will not necessarily attract small employers to exchanges
  • Public outreach an dsimple enrollment are keys to success

Resource Details

Date: Apr 2011
Author: Sabrina Corlete, et. al.