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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's Web-based marketplace for health insurance has opened up to all small employers.
The Utah Health Exchange's website is intended to foster competition and reduce consumer costs by offering more choices in purchasing insurance plans. The exchange has been operating a pilot program for small employers for the past year. It opened to all employers with two to 50 employees on Wednesday.
Employers participating in Utah's exchange give workers a set monetary amount, or a defined contribution. Workers then use that amount to shop on the exchange's Web site for their own plan.
Eventually, state leaders hope the exchange will enable employees to carry their insurance plans from job to job.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
