Some states' hesitancy on health law implementation could delay insurance exchange development

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Jan 25 2012

At issue is what some see as the law's uncertain future -- which many link to the outcome of the upcoming election and the Supreme Court's decision. The Minneapolis Star Tribune offers a case study.

Politico: States Waiting On SCOTUS Could Hamper Exchanges
Uncertainty over the fate of health reform ... has led some states to adopt a wait-and-see approach that may make it impossible for them to meet Health and Human Service's timeline for building their own insurance exchanges. With legislatures convening for their 2012 sessions, more states may adopt the same stance, jeopardizing their shot at exercising full control over their new insurance marketplaces when January 2014 arrives (Norman and Millman, 1/23).

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Health Care Changes: Will State Remain Gridlocked?
The 2012 Legislature convenes Tuesday facing a contentious battle over consumer health initiatives ... One key debate will determine whether Republican opposition to federal "Obamacare" is so intense that the GOP-led Legislature will block a Republican-authored bill to create a statewide health insurance exchange, a one-stop marketplace where more than 1 million Minnesotans could be shopping for coverage in two years. That's what happened in the Legislature last year, leaving Minnesota in gridlock (Wolfe, 1/23).

In other news related to the law's implementation -

Politico: Independent Payment Advisory Board Exists In Law, Resides In Limbo
Chances are the Republicans - and a not-insignificant number of House Democratic allies - won't be able to kill the Independent Payment Advisory Board this year. But for another year or two, at least, politicians don't have to lift a finger to block the Medicare cost-control agency from doing anything. For another year or two, it doesn't have much to do. Or anyone to do it (Kenen, 1/23).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Posted in: Healthcare News

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