"But all the power is in the hands of these health insurance companies. Are the prices really going to go down in price? Nothing else ever goes down in price. I'll believe it when I see it. Look at gas prices, look at the tolls that Port Authority does to us."
The exchange will give people the power of buying as a group. So, rather than having to shop around for prices as an individual or family, you'll be able to join the exchange the way many join their employer's plan. Group plan rates are just about always lower than individual rates.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson