State, private exchange developments attract attention

In Oregon, the Senate confirmed Governor John Kitzhaber's recommendations for the Oregon Insurance Exchange Board. On the private side, Bloom Health, a Minneapolis startup, is continuing its efforts to create a national health insurance exchange.  

The Lund Report: Senate Confirms Governor's Nominees to the Insurance Exchange Board
The Senate unanimously confirmed the nine people Governor John Kitzhaber recommended to be on Oregon's Insurance Exchange Board this afternoon. ... Rocky King, the exchange's interim executive director, told a joint meeting of the House and Senate Health Care Committees that the board will first establish its governing structure and bylaws, and draft a business plan. It will then begin designing the specific parameters of health plans available under the exchange--including the cost of co-pays and deductibles and the benefit structure (Waldroupe, 9/22). 

MinnPost: Health Insurance Exchange Startup Sells Majority Stake To Three Insurers
Minneapolis startup Bloom Health is working on creating a national health insurance exchange, and the sale of a majority stake to insurers Wellpoint Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Health Care Service Corporation will help pave the way, the company announced Tuesday (Grauer, 9/22).