South Dakota Risk Pool 012110 (audio)

Air Date:01/21/2010

By Jackelyn Severin 

The Department of Revenue and Regulation is proposing a bill to revise the way South Dakota risk pool premium rates are calculated.  Currently the state offers insurance to children and adults who have lost coverage in the past 63 days and are uninsurable. The South Dakota risk pool insurance is funded by insurance company assessment fees, participant premiums and the state. 
 
The South Dakota risk pool board calculates its premiums by taking the top three insurance companies’ rates in South Dakota and averaging them. House Bill 1043 allows the risk pool board to increase its sample size of insurance companies. Jill Kruger is with the Department of Revenue and Regulation she says this will help stabilize premium rates and make rate calculations more accurate. Kruger also says this bill allows the board to provide more insurance plans for risk pool members.
 
"Currently we only offer a one-thousand, a three-thousand and a ten-thousand dollar deductible plans. As people's premium rates increase they look to be able to increase their deductible amount and we want to be able to offer them some stepping stones in between our current policies," says Kruger.
 
The House Health and Human Services Committee passed the bill with a vote of 12 to 0. It now moves to the House floor. 
 
Member stations can download audio file here.

 

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