Federal health law implementation drives state policy debates

Examples of implementation activity at the state level stem from preparations underway for health insurance exchanges.

Stateline: Federal Health Law Driving Debate In The States
One way or another, President Obama's Affordable Care Act dominated health care politics in practically every state in the nation this year. Some states fought it, some moved to implement it, and others struggled to bring down Medicaid costs so they could afford it. Some tried to do all three (Vestal, 6/16). 

Politico Pro: States Feeling Deadline Pressure On Exchanges
States have a lot to do to prepare for the exchanges in 2014, and they're starting to feel the pressure. From Georgia to Oregon to Kansas, states are realizing that time is running out. Oregon, a pro-reform state, just passed legislation to set up an exchange. But the director of the state's health authority said that even with the support of the governor and the Legislature, time was not on their side. "Time is not our friend in this," Dr. Bruce Goldberg said Wednesday at an America's Health Insurance Plans conference in San Francisco (Nocera, 6/16).