As the father of a rabid Buckeye's fan, I'm a little more sensitive than most to the shenanigans that Wolverines are accused of playing. Most of the time, it's just game-day jitters, or disagreements in judgement with the ref's.
Seemingly unrelated, one of our most popular features here at IB is our Stupid Carrier Tricks series. If for no other reason than size, Blue Cross tends to bear the brunt of more than a few of these.
Okay, so what's my point?
Glad you asked:
That's right, Michigan is about to essentially hand over the individual medical market to one carrier. No matter how much one may admire the work that BX has done over the years (and they do have their fans), this is an outright gift to them.
How so?
Heartland Institute Research Fellow Jeff Emanuel explains that because of BX's unique status it looks like a not-for-profit tax-exempt entity. And it's taxed that way, too: that is, not at all. But it somehow manages to actually rake in siginificant dollars; its tax-exemption grants it a substantial competitive advantage. Because of the way 4 new mandates are worded, it's unlikely any other carrier would be able to price plans to compete with the Blues.
This would be a terrific deal for Blue Cross, of course, but once other carriers fold up their tents (and they will), Michiganders (?) will be stuck with fewer choices, less accountability and (ultimately) higher premiums.
As we've noted here before, we're all for each state trying out new methods and concepts. But if the idea is to increase choice and access, it's hard to see how this would do either.
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