MS SB2992

Creates the Mississippi Health Benefit Exchange as a not-for-profit corporation and independent state instrumentality with a 16-member board of directors including state officials, insurance representatives, employers, and health care providers.

Requires the exchange to make qualified health plans available to qualified individuals and small employers by January 1, 2014, and establish procedures for plan certification, enrollment periods, and a toll-free helpline.

Authorizes the exchange to facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans, screen applicants for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, provide premium tax credit calculations, and operate a Small Employer Exchange for businesses with 50 or fewer employees (100 beginning January 1, 2016).

Allows the exchange to charge assessments or user fees to health carriers to become self-sustaining by January 1, 2015, and requires publication of licensing costs and administrative expenses on a public website.

Grants the Department of Insurance regulatory authority to promulgate rules, investigate the exchange's affairs, and enforce state and federal laws governing the exchange's operations.