On May 13, 2013, The Progressive States Network and The Commonwealth Fund cosponsored the second in a series of webinars designed for state legislators and legislative staff on health care challenges and opportunities. The webinar focused on the health insurance marketplaces and how legislators can help to make them successful. Sara Collins, Ph.D., vice president of The Commonwealth Fund's Program on Affordable Health Insurance, gave an overview of the implementation status of the marketplaces and key issues to address before they open on January 1, 2014. Dave Chandra, of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, elaborated on issues facing state legislators in states with a state-run marketplace and Anton Gunn, director of external affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, highlighted how states with either federal–state partnerships or federally facilitated marketplaces can be active and helpful in ensuring effective outreach and enrollment. Ani Fete of Enroll America also discussed messages and strategies to promote enrollment in the marketplaces. Sara Collins and Ani Fete’s presentations are available for downloading.
