This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gov. Gary Herbert has tasked a small group of Utahns with developing ideas for how the Affordable Care Act should change — or be replaced.
He convened the internal working group after the presidential election last month, originally to keep tabs on federal health care law. But after Congress requested input from states, the group — made up of representatives from the governor's office and the state health and insurance departments — is now discussing how to change the act to give states more flexibility and reduce costs.
"We're still in the general overview-type mode," said Joseph Miner, health department director and head of the working group."It will probably not get too detailed or specific."
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, created online insurance marketplaces that allow consumers to find the best plan to fit their needs by comparing prices and networks. They also can qualify for federal tax credits that help reduce the overall cost of coverage.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to repeal and replace the act. And earlier this month, members of both the U.S. House and Senate sent letters to governors and insurance commissioners across the country requesting input on potential changes to the federal law.
"We now find ourselves uniquely positioned to repeal the ACA, which was rife with failures and the broken promise of lowering health care costs for the American people, and advance alternatives to it," states the letter from the Senate's finance committee, chaired by Utah's Orrin Hatch.
A group of U.S. House members wrote in their letter that Congress soon will start discussing and implementing new health care legislation, and they would like "input and recommendations based on your experience overseeing the health insurance markets and Medicaid programs within your state."
"Governors and state insurance commissioners play an integral role in the health system and will be invaluable partners as we tackle these important changes together," the U.S. House letter stated. "Working together, we are hopeful our joint efforts can help your state make fiscally sustainable reforms and give all patients a fair shot at quality, affordable health care."
The U.S. House members asked states to answer nine questions, including what reforms are needed to stabilize insurance markets and allow states to provide insurance options with lower premiums and expanded choices.
Herbert's group met last week, and Miner said they plan to meet once or twice more before offering recommendations to the governor so he can respond to the letters.
The hope is to eventually include health care systems and insurance plan representatives in the discussion, he added.
Tanji Northrup, assistance commissioner for the state Insurance Department, said at a Health Reform Task Force meeting Monday that the department has a number of concerns, such as repealing the requirement that most Americans have insurance.
Trump has said he wants to repeal the individual mandate while still maintaining the ban on insurance companies denying coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
"Without making other changes, the repeal [of the individual mandate] will cause added harm to the risk pools of the insurers, so there needs to be some other methodology change" along with that, Northrup said. "A simple repeal of the individual mandate would harm insurance companies in Utah."
Nate Checketts, deputy director of the health department, also attended the meeting Monday. He said he would like the state to ask Congress to make sure there are transition plans — continuing some sort of subsidy, for example — from one health care law to another "so they don't create cliffs for individuals."
"We ask that they consider the operational needs of states and families as we make these transitions," Checketts said.
The state has until Jan. 6, 2017, to respond to the letter from House members. The timeline for the U.S. Senate letter is more open-ended, Miner said.
"The American people deserve more patient-oriented solutions driven by innovative thinking that takes into consideration the unique needs of a diverse country," U.S. House members wrote in their letter. "Working as a team, with your help and creative ideas, we can achieve our mutual goal of putting patients first."
Twitter: @alexdstuckey