(Augusta)  Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC) was one of several advocacy groups invited to give testimony before the Joint Select Committee on Health Care Reform Opportunities and Implementation regarding the creation of the Health Insurance Exchange on Tuesday afternoon in Augusta.  CAHC Executive Director, Joe Ditré, provided testimony on behalf of consumers, and suggested that Maine should operate its own exchange in order to better address the concerns of its local citizens.  The Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in March, allows States the opportunity to run a Health Insurance Exchange in their state beginning in 2014.  The Federal government will operate the Exchange in the event that the State chooses not to set up an Exchange, or fails to do so by 2014.    
 
There were three principles that Mr. Ditré specifically outlined for the bipartisan panel: 1) Simplicity, 2) Uniformity, and 3) Affordable Choices.  In describing how to keep the Exchange simple, Mr. Ditré told the Committee that they should think of their parents or themselves as hypothetical shoppers in the Exchange and ask whether they would be able to understand all of the available options for coverage, including affordability, quality, services, and cost.  When highlighting uniformity, he stressed that the same products should be sold in the Exchange as those sold outside the Exchange, at the same rates, and with the same quality.  Finally, Mr. Ditré stated that the Exchange should allow consumers to make an apples to apples comparison - they should be able to determine the best value for their family. 
 
He also suggested that the governing board of the Exchange include consumers and policymakers, but exclude insurers and providers that may have financial interests. 
 
"In designing the Exchange, we need to keep our eyes on the end result of all this work.  We are here to talk about Exchanges because they will help tens of thousands of Maine residents get access to quality affordable health care," said Ditré. 
 
The Joint Select Committee on Health Care Reform Opportunities and Implementation has been convening since May to discuss how best to implement the Affordable Care Act on the state level and has at least two more meetings scheduled in October.  For more information and materials from the Committee's proceedings, visit: http://www.maine.gov/legis/opla/healthcarereform.htm