State Health Insurance Exchange Legislation: A Progress Report
<p>The Affordable Care Act requires each state to establish by 2014 a health insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses can purchase affordable health insurance plans. The exchanges are the centerpiece of the reform law: they will be the main portals for people without employer-sponsored or public insurance to find a health plan and learn about and apply for any federal subsidies for which they are eligible. </p>
<p>In a new <a href="/blog/2011/affordable-care-acts-health-insurance-marketplaces-progress-report">Commonwealth Fund Blog post</a> with a color-coded state map, Sara R. Collins and Tracy Garber of the Fund's Affordable Health Insurance program provide an update of where states stand in establishing the legal authority for their insurance exchanges.</p>
<p>The authors note that, if governors in the five states with bills on their desks sign them into law, the number of states with the legal authority to establish their exchanges will climb to 11 this year (in addition to Massachusetts and Utah, which already had exchanges). A few other states with legislation that has passed or which is pending, such as New York, may yet cross the finish line this year as well. And planning for the exchanges is well under way in many states that do not have signed legislation in place.</p>
<p>Read the complete post and check out the map at: <a href="/Publications/Blog.aspx">http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Blog.aspx</a>. <br /></p>