The Idaho Legislature convened earlier this month for its latest legislative session and one of the main topics of discussion is whether the state will build a health insurance exchange program. The state has received a $20 million federal grant to help build the exchange, but legislators have yet to accept the funds as they still remain divided on the issue. Idaho is one of 22 states that have not reached a conclusion on what to do about an insurance exchange yet. Health insurance exchanges are part of the Affordable…
Read MoreTag: health care reform deadline
Virginia legislators move to draft laws for a health insurance exchange despite Governor’s wishes
Virginia may soon be heading down the path of establishing its own health insurance exchange, despite opposition from Governor Robert McDonnell. State legislators worry that time is growing short for the state to take action. If Virginia does not build its own exchange by 2014, the federal government will step in and build and govern one of their own. Legislation that would make an exchange possible is being championed by Delegate Terry Kilgore, chairman of the House of Commerce and Labor Committee. Kilgore believes that immediate action must be taken…
Read MoreGeorgia launches panel to investigate the virtues of a health insurance exchange
Georgia is outspoken in its opposition to the federal health care reform, as are many other Southern states. Despite the efforts of these states to have the law declared unconstitutional, the law remains in place and states are still required to establish health insurance exchange programs. Unwilling to allow the federal government to take charge of the exchange if it cannot make the 2014 deadline, Georgia has launched a new panel of insurance experts and legislators to explore how an exchange would serve the people of the state. In terms…
Read MoreArkansas Insurance Commissioner to seek approval to establish insurance exchange
Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford will be petitioning the state Legislature for authority to establish a health insurance exchange. The commissioner has been lobbying for the authority for more than a year now, but lawmakers have been slow to warm to the idea of an exchange. Earlier this year, the state’s Insurance Department was awarded a $1 million grant to assist in the forming of an exchange, but it has been unable to use any of that money as there has yet to be any legislation approving and insurance exchange.…
Read MoreWisconsin at the forefront of democrat healthcare reform requirements
Wisconsin seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to instituting health insurance exchanges. The state has recently completed the infrastructure necessary for supporting the system in spite of stiff opposition from Governor Scott Walker. Walker has denounced the exchanges as an overstepping of the federal governments boundaries, a notion shared amongst several Republicans that have opposed the health care reform law. According to the law, states are tasked with setting up a self-sustaining exchange program by 2014. If they fail to do so, the federal government will…
Read More