Medica cries foul over proposed Wellmark-Farm Bureau bill
Medica, the sole health insurance carrier selling individual policies in Iowa this year, says it might take legal action against the state over legislation that would allow Wellmark to bypass Affordable Care Act rules, the Des Moines Register reported. The Iowa Senate passed a bill on March 7 that would allow Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield to partner with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to sell a new type of health coverage. The new policies would be defined as “health benefit plans,” which would technically not be insurance and would not be regulated by the Iowa Insurance Division. Geoff Bartsh, a vice president for Medica, said the bill would allow Wellmark to reject applicants with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer, forcing them to enroll in more expensive policies offered by Medica that abide by ACA rules.