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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Legislature has passed a bill that would expand the state's experimental health insurance exchange.
The proposal now advances to the governor's office.
The Utah Health Exchange went online last year. The Web-based marketplace lets employees browse different plans as if buying an airline ticket.
Launched in a limited form last August, many exchange participants quickly dropped out because of high premium costs.
House Bill 294 proposes expanding the program to create parity in premiums by spreading the risk among small businesses inside and outside of the exchange.
House Speaker David Clark's bill would also allow large employers to join.
The Republican from Santa Clara has said he wants Utah to be a model of state-run health care.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
