May 19 2011
A new law, which Maine's governor signed Tuesday, allows interstate insurance sales and insurers to set rates based on age, location and occupation.
The Hill: Maine Insurance Law Could Conflict With New Federal Rules
Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday signed into law new health care rules that could conflict with federal regulations set to take effect in 2014. Several states have passed or considered bills that explicitly disapprove of the federal health care reform law, but Maine's new statute isn't simply a political statement — it makes substantive policy changes to the state insurance market that a leading opponent says will have to be revisited in just two years (Baker, 5/17).
National Journal: States Advance In Reform Waivers
As the Department of Health and Human Services presses forward with a federal vision of health care reform, some states are advancing in their efforts to implement their own versions. Maine's health care law is headed to the governor's desk to be signed. The state's health care overhaul would allow for interstate insurance sales and allow insurance companies to determine premium rates based on age, geographical location, and occupation. Democrats say the law would unfairly discriminate against the elderly and those living in northern Maine (Fung, 5/17).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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