JFC Votes on State's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Friday, June 7th, 2019 -- 7:46 AM
(WRN) -Funding for the State's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance was up for a vote last night at the Joint Finance Committee.The Joint Finance Committee has approved around 72 million dollars in increased funding to help prop up a Republican program to lower the cost of plans on the healthcare marketplace. Democrats had requested around 540 million dollars to help state agencies reach out to low income patients to help them get connected with plans on the Healthcare Marketplace. Republican JFC co chair Representative John Nygren says they're still offering that funding.
"But ask OCI to come back to us so that we can develop a plan so that both navigators and private insurance agents, who are already working with families around the state, can actually accomplish the very same thing."
Nygren says the Governor is mistaken about low income people needing Medicaid.
"The 82-thousand that don't have access to care. That's not true. They do have access to care at very low, affordable rates. And that is why he has put that money in to help connect them to the plans that are available. We're going to support that."
Republicans also blocked Democrats from creating a new position to oversee the state's reinsurance program.
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