Are exchanges more appealing to insurers now?

Elsewhere, in Colorado, new fees on consumers and insurance plans would raise $13 million to help run that state's exchange next year.

Modern Healthcare: Exchanges Look More Appealing To Insurers Second Time Around 
Health insurers appear to be increasingly bullish on the fledgling state and federal exchanges, in spite of disastrous rollouts in many of the online marketplaces last fall (Demko, 4/17).

The Denver Post: Colorado Health Exchange Proposes Insurer Fee to Raise $13 Million 
Colorado's new health exchange will decide this summer whether to assess a fee to insurance companies for each policy they provide exchange users. The assessment could be up to $1.80 per policy, and if approved by the exchange board would be in effect to help pay exchange operating costs next year and in 2016, according to Connect for Health Colorado CEO Patty Fontneau (McGhee, 4/18).

Health News Colorado: Fee To Fund Exchange Would Hit All Coloradans With Health Insurance
A $13 million fee on all Coloradans with health insurance would pay half the operating costs at the state health exchange next year and in 2016 under the newest financial projections. The proposed fee would affect at least 875,000 people and includes Coloradans who get their insurance through their employers or outside the exchange. Exchange managers announced earlier this week that they sold private health plans to 124,000 people through the end of March (McCrimmon, 4/17).

Meanwhile, in Medicaid expansion news --

Bangor Daily News: Maine Legislature Approves Late, Last-Ditch Push For Medicaid Expansion
The Maine Legislature on Thursday night approved a Medicaid expansion plan for the third time since March, though the bill is likely doomed to the same fate as its predecessors -- death by gubernatorial veto. The House of Representatives gave the bill final approval with a vote of 94-51. The Senate gave final approval after a 19-14 vote. ... [House Speaker Mark] Eves' amendment offered a new twist on the 16-month-old Medicaid expansion debate by promoting a plan to use millions of federal Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance plans for tens of thousands of newly eligible low-income Mainers (Moretto, 4/17).