New leadership at HHS insurance exchange office

Steve Larson, who oversees the office at the Department of Health and Human Services that includes planning for the exchanges, will join forces with another HHS official to take on this effort. Meanwhile, KHN's Julie Appleby provides an exchanges primer and from Minnesota, an update on the state's progress.

The Hill: Top HHS Officials To Take Over Exchange Office
The Health and Human Services Department will split up the workload of overseeing insurance exchanges after its top exchanges official leaves the department this month. The head of HHS' exchanges office, Joel Ario, is leaving his post next month. Steve Larsen, who runs the health reform office that includes exchanges planning and many other functions, said in an e-mail to agency employees that he and another HHS official will take over planning for the exchanges — a cornerstone of the new health law (Baker, 8/2).

PBS Newshour: Health Insurance Exchange 101
It seems like a simple idea: create new marketplaces called "exchanges" where consumers can comparison shop for health insurance, sort of like shopping online for a hotel room or airline ticket. But, like almost everything else connected with the 2010 health reform law, state-based insurance "exchanges" are embroiled in politics (Sreenivasan and Appleby 8/2).

Minnesota Public Radio: Proposals Submitted To Build Up State's Health Exchange
Fourteen groups have submitted proposals to build the infrastructure for the state's health insurance exchange, a key part of the new federal health care law. ... The state of Minnesota put out requests for design proposals in mid-June. The Commerce Department received 14 proposals by this week's deadline (Stawicki, 8/2).