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State health exchange to flip to direct premium payment
By Associated Press
Published: Dec 18, 2014 at 2:02 PM PST



OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The board that runs Washington's health exchange voted Thursday to change the way it handles premium payments and have customers pay their insurance companies directly.

The change puts Washington more in line with the way other state exchanges are run.

It was prompted by all the problems the exchange has had in making sure payments are correctly credited and transferred to insurance companies.

The proposal passed on a close vote because not everyone thinks it's a good idea.

Exchange board member Teresa Mosqueda says paying insurance companies directly won't solve the underlying problems that have led to some people not being able to use the insurance they have paid for.

The change won't go into effect until fall 2015, when the next open enrollment period begins.