Amend the amendment on page 1 by striking out all of lines 17 to 20 and inserting the following:
'Amend the bill by striking out all of section 6 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 6. Changes to Dirigo Health. The Board of Trustees of Dirigo Health, or "the board," shall implement the following changes to Dirigo Health effective for all annual contracts offered or renewed after June 30, 2010:
1. Vouchers. Coverage may be subsidized only through sliding scale vouchers that provide eligible households access to a range of insurance products with choices from multiple carriers and varied plans that meet standards approved by the board;
2. Asset test. The board may not provide subsidies to any household with a net worth exceeding $50,000;
3. Eligibility. The board may enroll as new members only those who have been uninsured for at least 6 months before acquiring coverage subsidized by Dirigo Health;
4. Underwriting. Carriers whose products qualify for subsidies may offer coverage that imposes a 6-month waiting period for preexisting medical conditions; and
5. Policies. The board must apply its revenue alloted to Dirigo Health to implement the following policies:
A. To develop and offer more affordable products;
B. To reduce subsidies in order to cover more households at lesser cost;
C. To emphasize preventive care and disease management over member asset protection;
D. To improve population health;
E. To reduce health care costs throughout the State's health care market; and
F. To maximize the use of federal initiatives available through Medicaid and national health reforms.
The board shall report by March 1, 2010 to the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services on changes that will be made to the Dirigo Health Program as directed by this section.' ’
summary
This amendment directs the Board of Trustees of Dirigo Health to change Dirigo Health effective June 30, 2010 in the following ways:
1. Adopt sliding scale vouchers to provide households with access to a range of approved insurance products;
2. Deny subsidies to households with assets exceeding $50,000;
3. Enroll as new members only those who have been uninsured for at least 6 months;
4. Allow carriers to impose a 6-month waiting period for preexisting conditions; and
5. Adopt policies to offer more affordable products, spread subsidies over more households, emphasize preventive care and disease management, improve population health, reduce costs in the State's health care market and maximize federal initiatives.