States still debating whether or not they wish to establish health insurance exchanges will be receiving additional information on the subject from the Obama administration, which will provide explanations in greater detail regarding the way that these complex marketplaces will function.
As of yet, the U.S. federal government has provided limited information regarding this significant element of the healthcare overhaul which went into place in 2010, though it had indicated that it would have already done so by spring of 2011.
Without any additional details until now, many states have been left at a standstill regarding their decision. That said, the states have been handed a deadline of January 1, 2013, before which they must have chosen whether or not to participate in the health insurance exchanges program. With participation, they will need to form IT and governance structures pretty much from the ground up.
According to health division director Krista Drobac, of the National Governors Association, the states are worried about this looming deadline. However, she added that the regulations that will be outlined by the Obama administration will “help states see what is feasible between now and 2013.”
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, of the U.S. Health and Human Services, will be outlining the structure for the health insurance exchanges at a Washington press event that will be held this Monday.
The purpose of the health insurance exchanges program is to form an open marketplace that makes it easier for small businesses and uninsured individuals to access insurance plans and to come together to achieve lower rates through combined negotiations.
