Minnesota legislature approves health exchange bill, sends it to governor

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has vowed to sign the measure. In Michigan, though, Gov. Rick Snyder warned that time is running out and state lawmakers have until the week's end to approve a partnership exchange.

MPR News: Health Exchange Bill Passes Minn. Senate, Heads To Dayton's Desk
Historic and controversial legislation creating a new way for a fifth of Minnesota's population to obtain health insurance is now on its way to Gov. Dayton's desk. And he has promised to sign it. ... Minnesota will now become one of at least 17 states that develop and run their own exchanges (Stawicki, 3/18)

The Associated Press: Major Insurance Overhaul Passes At Minnesota Capitol
More than 300,000 uninsured Minnesotans will have a route toward health coverage under a bill the state Senate passed Monday, the final legislative step toward implementing one of the major features of the new federal health-care law. The Senate approved the health insurance exchange bill on a party-line vote of 39-28. They sent the bill to Gov. Mark Dayton, who has vowed to sign it and whose administration already has been working for months on setting up the venture and hiring its employees ahead of a planned Oct. 1 enrollment debate (Condon, 3/19).

The Associated Press: Michigan Governor Says Time Running Out To Work With Feds On Health Exchange
Gov. Rick Snyder warned Monday that time is running out to work with the federal government to establish an online health care marketplace and that people would likely regret lawmakers' failure to act. The Republican governor told The Associated Press the GOP-dominated Senate has until week's end to approve a partnership exchange -; a key component of the federal health care overhaul -; before legislators go on a two-week spring break. He said there is not enough time afterward, and his administration is talking with lawmakers in an effort to get legislation passed this week (Karoub and Eggert, 3/19).