It's expected that Iowa will have only one provider on the Obamacare exchange in 2018 - and that provider has asked for a 56% premium hike. The expected result? Around 20,000 Iowans who won't be able to buy an insurance policy next year.
The Iowa Insurance Division has watched Congress try - and fail - to fix the Affordable Care Act. The Division thinks failure is NOT an option. So it has submitted a stopgap measure meant to ensure that Iowans have more choices in 2018.
The proposal has drawn national attention - and SOME criticism for the way it would redistribute the subsidies that allow some Iowans to afford insurance. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen talks about the proposal - and answers the critics - in this interview.