State Health Insurance Exchanges: Commonwealth Fund Resources
<p>Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its new proposed regulation providing states guidance on establishing new health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. The regulation offers states some new flexibility. For example, it allows for the conditional approval of an exchange if a state is far along in developing it but cannot demonstrate complete readiness by January 2013. In addition, states that do not have their exchange ready for operation in 2014 may apply to operate the exchange in 2015 or in subsequent years.</p>
<p>To learn more about the insurance exchanges, read the <a href="/blog/2011/affordable-care-acts-health-insurance-marketplaces-progress-report">updated blog post</a> on state progress by The Commonwealth Fund’s Sara Collins and Tracy Garber. There's also a new <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=9F58BC949E834D3EA21855F7DBE81D70&_z=z">resource page</a> with additional Fund blog posts, publications, and webinars. </p>
<p>Also released today was a proposed regulation related to the Affordable Care Act's reinsurance and risk adjustment provisions. These provisions are designed to encourage health plans to compete on the value their benefits provide, rather than their success in avoiding patients with health risks, as the exchanges and new insurance market regulations are implemented in 2014. For more, see the issue brief <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2011/may/risk-adjustment-under-affordable-care-act-guide-federal-and">Risk Adjustment Under the Affordable Care Act: A Guide for Federal and State Regulators</a>, by Mark Hall, J.D. <br /></p>