HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced she will extend or waive the deadline again for states interested in running their own health insurance exchange or partnering with the federal government, the New York Times reports.
Under the Affordable Care Act, Sebelius was directed to determine "on or before Jan. 1, 2013," whether states were prepared to run their own exchanges. However, instead of determining now whether the exchanges are ready, HHS will work with states and set timelines and goals to progress toward creating an exchange.
Gary Cohen, director of the federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, said, "There is no deadline," adding, "We are going to give final approval once states demonstrate that they are able to satisfy all the requirements and meet all the conditions of operating an exchange."
Currently there are 18 Declared State-based Exchange, 7 Planning for Partnership Exchange, and
26 Default to Federal Exchange.
Visit the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation's state health facts web page for details on state participation in health insurance exchanges.
