| Health care CO-OPs are not your usual health insurance companies. The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) says, "Cooperatives are owned and democratically controlled by their members ... not by outside investors." Health care cooperatives use the money that a private insurer would take as profit to lower premiums, expand benefits, or improve the quality of care for their members.
The Affordable Care Act CO-OP funding will continue in the 24 states where CO-OPs have already been approved in 2012. But, because of the "fiscal cliff" deal, funds have been cut for the additional 26 states still applying for capital loans. Perhaps, as the new CO-OPs become operational, they will demonstrate the value of this form of health care and lead to reinstatement of funding for all states, if that has not been accomplished by the time the funded CO-OPs go live. |
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