Ark. decides to rely on feds to create state's health exchange; Minn. test drives the state-based concept

The Arkansas state insurance commissioner said the efforts to create a state-run exchange were abandoned because of legislative opposition. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, several exchange prototypes will be available online for public review.

Modern Healthcare: Ark. Drops Plans For State-Run Insurance Exchange
Arkansas has dropped plans for a state-run health insurance exchange, or marketplace, and will instead rely on one created by the federal government. State Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford said in a statement that he was abandoning administrative planning for a state-run version of the exchange after legislative opposition "quashed the state's efforts to meet federal requirements for implementation of its own exchange by the January 1, 2014, deadline" (Daly, 12/4).

Minnesota Public Radio: Test Of Health Care Exchanges Begins Today
Minnesotans will be able to test drive the state's future health insurance marketplace when several prototypes of insurance exchanges are made available online Monday for public review. The health insurance exchanges are a cornerstone of the federal health care law, and are intended to make it easier for consumers to comparison shop for health insurance. ... Minnesota hasn't yet decided if the exchange will select the health insurance plans to be offered, or if it will be open to all health insurance plans that meet certain requirements (Stawicki, 12/5). 

In other news related to the health law's implementation -;

WBUR's CommonHealth blog: Physician's Group Denounces IOM On Health Coverage, Says Financial Conflicts Abound
Physician's For A National Health Program, a group that advocates a single-payer health system, yesterday charged that the influential Institute of Medicine's recommendations for "essential" health coverage under the new national health law are "skimpy" and biased and could "cause much suffering" for patients (Zimmerman, 12/2).