New guidance on state health insurance exchanges from the Department of Health and Human Services gives states more options as their deadline for establishing an exchange nears. Previously, states could choose to operate their own exchange or opt to have the federal government run it. Now, they can choose a "state partnership exchange" with the federal government, in which they would operate exchange functions related to plan management and/or consumer assistance. In a blog post, The Commonwealth Fund's Sara Collins and Tracy Garber review the new guidance and provide an updated map showing where states currently stand in establishing the legal authority for their insurance exchanges.