IRS finalizes rule on data about consumers who purchase exchange plans

The regulation focuses on state exchanges and requires that these marketplaces report information such as enrollees' names, addresses, birthdates and premium amounts. In addition, news outlets also examine what went wrong in states with problem-plagued websites and what is happening in locations where the marketplaces have proven popular.    

Modern Healthcare:  IRS Outlines Data Insurance Exchanges Must Report
The IRS has finalized a rule that outlines the information insurance exchanges will be required to report to the agency about individuals who obtained coverage through an exchange-purchased, qualified health plan. Exchanges will be required to report demographic information ranging from names and addresses to birthdates as well as premium amounts. The regulation appears to only target state exchanges because the agency is only anticipating 15 respondents each year (Dickson, 5/12).

The Denver Post:  Colorado Health Exchange Board Gives Chief 2.5% Raise And $14k Bonus
Critics of the state health exchange -; and one board member -; say it's reckless to give the chief executive a pay raise and bonus when Connect for Health's solvency is uncertain after federal funding ends next year. Supporters argue it's well-earned. The exchange's board Monday voted to give CEO Patty Fontneau a 2.5 percent raise, bringing her annual salary to $195,314, and a $14,291 bonus (Draper, 5/12).

Health News Colorado: Despite Fury Last Fall, Exchange Board Gives CEO Raise, $14,000 Bonus
Board chair Gretchen Hammer congratulated Fontneau for her performance in setting up Colorado's new health exchange. ... The increase comes at a time when Colorado exchange managers are working to figure out how they can become financially self-sustaining. Connect for Health charges customers a 1.4 percent user fee. And managers want to charge everyone with health insurance in the state -; even those who don't get it through the exchange -; $13 million in fees in both 2015 and 2016 to help pay Connect for Health's bills (McCrimmon, 5/12).

Health News Colorado: Congressman Blasts Bonus, Raise For Exchange CEO
Congressman Cory Gardener today blasted Colorado's exchange board for giving its CEO a $14,000 bonus for 2013 ...  Gardner, a Republican from Yuma who is now running for the U.S. Senate, had been critical of Connect for Health Colorado CEO Patty Fontneau for requesting a raise last fall (McCrimmon, 5/12).

The Denver Post:  Connect For Health Colorado:  How Many Audits Are Enough?
A conservative watchdog group released a petition Monday demanding an audit of what it calls "the troubled state health insurance exchange." The calls for audits have multiplied ever since a Democrat-controlled Senate committee in late March killed a House bill with bipartisan support for expanded state oversight of Connect for Health Colorado. ... Although established by state law, the health-insurance marketplace is an independent nonprofit (Draper, 5/12).

Kansas Health Institute News Service:  Some Kansans Still Signing Up For Health Coverage
More than 57,000 Kansans signed up for health insurance through the federal exchange before the March 31 deadline. "That was 19.1 percent of all those who were eligible," said Katrina McGivern, communications coordinator for the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, one of the Kansas groups given federal grant dollars to help get people enrolled (5/12).

The Hill:  Kentucky Likes Its Health Exchange, But Don't Call It 'ObamaCare'
A new poll shows most Kentuckians oppose ObamaCare, even while a plurality support their own state's insurance exchange, which was established by the healthcare law. An NBC News/Marist poll released Monday found 57 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable opinion of ObamaCare, versus 33 percent who hold a favorable view. But when asked for their views on 'Kynect,' the state exchange created because of President Obama's healthcare law, 29 percent held a favorable opinion, with 22 percent opposed. Twenty-one percent didn't have an opinion, and 27 percent said they had not heard about it (Al-Faruque, 5/12).

NBC News: In Polling Obamacare, A Label Makes A Big Difference
Call it something else, and the negatives drop," said Marist pollster Lee Miringoff. ... Kynect itself is one of the new law's state success stories; more than 413,000 residents signed up for health coverage under the new law before March's enrollment deadline. Last month, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear called the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the state an "indisputable success" and noted that 75 percent of the applicants were previously uninsured (Dann, 5/12).

Meanwhile, Medicaid news from Pennsylvania -

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania's Expansion Of Medicaid To Require 723 New Workers
Pennsylvania's ambitious alternative to expanding Medicaid - a private-market initiative that Gov. Corbett says is designed to save money - would require 723 new state workers, about one percent of the current workforce. The projected number of hires, detailed by state officials, is far higher than most states have needed and surprised some public-policy experts. Many states are adding employees to review applications and confirm eligibility (Sapatktin, 5/12).