WICS Live: Around the States

Utah: State’s Health Exchange “Open for Business”: Under the new program, participating small businesses will pay employees a stipend, which they can use to purchase health insurance. The new state-run web site then allows workers to compare the available 72 insurance plans on the site and select the health insurance plans that best fits their needs. Proponents believe it is a small step to help the state’s uninsured purchase health coverage, while critics say that the program will make things worse by encouraging companies to drop employer-based coverage and that the available policies are designed for younger—and healthier—workers.