Employers may seek to shift their employees' health insurance coverage to exchanges that are to be set up in 2014 under the health reform law, health insurance analysts told a recent conference.

A key issue will be whether the exchanges end up primarily offering Medicaid-type products aimed at low-income people, or whether the exchanges will offer plans similar to the type of coverage most middle-class Americans now get through employers, according to analysts who participated in the 15th Annual Wall Street Comes to Washington Conference sponsored by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148), individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase health insurance through the exchanges that are to be set up on a statewide basis.

Copyright 2011, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.