The U.S. Senate bill that would take broker compensation out of the medical loss ratio equation hasn’t moved in the month since it was introduced, not surprising given the nearly two weeks of Easter and Passover recess and outings by top administration officials to discuss broader issues like the budget in front of Senate committees. So what are the chances of this bill gaining ground in the 113th Congress?
“It depends on how rocky the rollout [of the ACA’s exchanges] is in October and if the rollout is really rocky, I’d imagine that more expansive modifications will take priority,” says Scott Harrington, professor of health care management and business economics and public policy at The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. “There will be a tendency to not pass narrow legislation.”
