State officials debate whether, how to set up health exchanges

Lawmakers in Maryland, Nebraska and Kansas consider bills to advance or block the marketplaces; California officials wrestle with the nitty gritty of implementation.

The Associated Press/USA Today: Md. Lt. Gov. To Speak To Senate, House Committees About Legislation To Implement Health Reform
[Maryland's Lt. Gov. Anthony] Brown will testify Wednesday before a state Senate committee in favor of legislation that builds on the state's efforts to create a Health Benefit Exchange, which is intended to help individuals and small businesses buy health insurance (Breitenbach, 2/22).

The Associated Press: Nebraska Health Insurance Plan Debate Begins
The road to Nebraska creating its own health insurance exchange could be a long one, as indicated Tuesday by nearly three hours of testimony before lawmakers. Lawmakers began discussion on two bills that would form the Nebraska Health Benefit Exchange Act, a plan offered as an alternative to the federal health insurance plan now being scrutinized by the U.S. Supreme Court (Avok, 2/21).

The Associated Press/Houston Chronicle: Protest Of Obama Policies Advances In Kan. House
A bill conservative Republicans see as an important step toward giving Kansas full control over health care programs received first-round approval Tuesday in the state House, advancing another protest from the GOP-controlled Legislature against Democratic President Barack Obama's policies (Hanna, 2/21).

Kansas Health Institute News: Health Care Bills Advanced
Legislators in the House today moved forward a bill that would authorize Kansas participation in the Interstate Health Care Compact. ... Once 20 or more states have joined the compact, proponents of the bill have said, the member states will demand that Congress ratify an agreement to return tax dollars used to fund Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to the states (2/21).

California Healthline: Working Out the Details of the Exchange
With a June deadline looming for submitting its Level II implementation grant, the exchange board finds itself grappling with some of the hard questions and sticky details around creation of the Health Benefit Exchange. ... According to executive director Peter Lee, other news discussed at the exchange board meeting included: [considering] cost-sharing with qualified health plans (Gorn, 2/22).