Offering Affordable Coverage Options to Small Employers
<p>Last month, a Commonwealth Fund webinar provided key insights for state leaders working to design health insurance exchanges for small businesses. Now in a new blog post, The Commonwealth Fund's Tracy Garber, Sara R. Collins, and Ruth Robertson capture highlights from the presentations and Q&A, which drew from a collection of <em>Health Affairs</em> articles focused on the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). </p><p>Visit <a href="/blog/2012/small-business-health-insurance-exchanges-opportunities-and-challenges">The Commonwealth Fund Blog</a> to learn how the webinar panelists responded to questions about whether the exchanges will be "active purchasers" empowered to selectively contract with carriers, set higher standards for participation than the federal standards, and negotiate prices, and about how federal officials might approach creating SHOP exchanges in states that have chosen not to set up their own. </p>
<p>Also see the National Academy for State Health Policy's <a href="http://www.statereforum.org/blog/keep-talking-shop-exchange" target="_blank">State Refor(u)m blog</a> for selected questions that the panelists didn't have time to address. You are invited to answer questions and share your knowledge and experience.</p>