CMS delays Florida MLR decision; Conn. exchange board under fire

In Florida and Connecticut, officials are wrestling with issues related to implementation of the national health reform law.

CQ HealthBeat: And The Florida MLR Waiver Decision Is ... Not Ready
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services officials have given themselves 30 more days to decide on Florida's request to slow the phase-in of a requirement that insurers spend a minimum of 80 percent of each premium dollar on expenses related to improving the quality of health care (Reichard, 11/16).

The Connecticut Mirror: Critics Seek Ethics Inquiry Into Exchange Board
Eight groups have signed a letter asking the Office of State Ethics to look into what they say are possible conflicts of interest among members of the board that oversees the state's health insurance exchange. The request ... [says] that the appointments of the former insurance executives "raise serious concerns regarding possible conflicts of interest and questions regarding violations of the statute and state ethics laws" (Levin Becker, 11/16).