Analysis of New Jersey Health Insurance Provides Lessons for Washington

Grace-Marie Turner, nationally-recognized health care expert, considers a recent NCPA analysis of New Jersey's health insurance system. At the State Policy blog, Turner writes:

... a healthy 25-year-old male could purchase a policy for $960 a year in Kentucky but would pay about $5,880 in New Jersey.

Instead of community rating and guaranteed issue, New Jersey should allow insurers to charge risk-based premiums, write Herrick and O'Keefe [authors of the NCPA report]. In order to cover residents too poor to afford private coverage, the state could request a block grant for all federal Medicaid funds...

Washington lawmakers have long pushed community rating and guaranteed issue, restricting flexibility and driving up costs. As the NCPA concludes;

Mandated benefits and regulations have driven up the cost of health   insurance in New Jersey.

Here, too.