Additional tidbit -- OPM's Multi-State Program

The FEHBlog noticed in Govexec.com this morning that yesterday Sen. Ron Johnson (R Wisc) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R NC) have proposed a bill to end OPM's Multi-State Program ("MSP"). The Affordable Care Act created the MSP to encourage ACA marketplace competition. OPM explains on its website that

A Multi-State Plan (MSP) option is a high-quality plan offered on the Marketplace, under contract with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency that also administers health insurance for Federal employees. OPM negotiates plan benefits, monitors plan performance, and oversees plan compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

OPM started contracting with Blue Cross and several ACA co-op plans to offer these plans. The OPM webpage also indicates that only one State -- Arkansas -- will offer an MSP option for 2018.

Govexec.com notes

Johnson said in a statement that the program costs taxpayers $10 million a year, including expenses and the salaries of the program’s administrative staff. That money could be better spent on other initiatives, like OPM’s efforts to reduce retirement and security clearance backlogs, he argued.