Health insurance exchanges become subject of political attacks

health insurance promotion

Health insurance exchanges are gaining more attention

The Affordable Care Act has been a major point of contention in U.S. politics since 2010. The federal law seeks to make significant changes to health insurance and the country’s health care structure, with a strong focus on making health insurance coverage more available to consumers throughout the country. One of the primary provisions of the federal law tasks states with playing host to health insurance exchange programs. These exchanges are meant to serve as marketplaces where consumers can find the affordable coverage offered by the Affordable Care Act.

Exchanges quickly becoming a political issue

Health insurance exchanges have been relatively well accepted throughout the country, despite the controversial nature of the Affordable Care Act itself. The federal law requires that every state host an exchange program, but states have the ability to opt out of managing these exchanges themselves. Many states have chosen to forfeit this responsibility to the federal government, but others have chosen to build and operate their own health insurance exchanges. Those that remain staunchly opposed to the federal law have begun targeting these exchanges in their ongoing campaigns to see the Affordable Care Act crumble.

health insurance attackGroups team to oppose exchange programs

Political groups opposing the Affordable Care Act have begun coming together to target exchanges specifically. These exchanges have, for the most part, been relatively free from the controversial attention that the federal law has attracted in the past. Political groups are now suggesting that these exchanges are one of the primary problems with the Affordable Care Act, claiming that the concept of health insurance exchanges itself is dysfunctional.

Federal control may cause severe imbalance in health insurance markets

Groups opposing health insurance exchanges claim that they are a way for the federal government to leverage more control over states. States that decided not to operate their own exchanges will have these program managed by the federal government. These political groups suggest that this will lead to more expensive coverage and less control provided to state governments, effectively limiting their ability to regulate their domestic health insurance markets.