Representative Short said the bills that passed Tuesday are low-cost and no-cost measures and are just some of the "pieces of the puzzle" needed to addess the rising cost of healthcare in Delaware

The State House passed three bills on Tuesday intended to reduce the cost of healthcare in the First State. The measures were part of a larger package of healthcare measures introduced by State Rep. Dan Short earlier this year. Rep. Short said the bills that passed Tuesday are low-cost and no-cost measures and are just some of the "pieces of the puzzle" needed to address the rising cost of healthcare in Delaware. House Bill 477 would allow healthcare insurance companies to offer a "Skinny healthcare policy, which would be free of all state mandates. Currently, Delaware requires that health insurance policies include 37 buit-in mandates, potentially adding hundreds of dollars annually to the premiums. Rep. Short says while many of the mandates are worthy items, his bill would give consumers a lower-cost option that is currently unavailable to them.

House Bill 476 calls for Division of Revenue to use income data to identify Delaware families that might be eligible for SCHIP, a government program that providies health insurance to low income children. Under the bill, such families would be issued notices about their possible eligibility, inlcuding information on how to apply. The program is largely funded with federal money.

The House also passed House Bill 479, which seeks to reform the Delaware Insurance Code by enacting revisions suggested by the Delaware Healthcare Commission. Rep. Short says the bill is intended to streamline the code and should make healthcare policy rates more stable and predictable from year to year, helping small businesses and other people purchasing coverage to better plan for the future. All three bills move to the Senate for consideration. The legislative session ends on Monday.