Insurance Exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services has released this funding opportunity announcement for individuals or entities interested in applying to serve as navigators in the federally facilitated or state partnership exchanges.

With the arrival of the insurance exchanges, an estimated 22 million people will have the opportunity to choose their coverage through an exchange.  Exchange leaders have a critical role to play in supporting consumers in their search for high quality, affordable options that best meet their individual needs. The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) has created a set of resources that exchanges can use as they build their consumer choice decision support.

This brief discusses some of the key policy decisions states are making and briefly describes these programs in a handful of states. This brief is not intended to offer comprehensive examination of all state activity, but rather provides a snapshot of key decisions in a few states. States were included in this snapshot if they had released a detailed RFP or other policy documents describing how these assistance programs would be structured.

This bill constitutes the last step in the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s three-year effort to use the tools of the Affordable Care Act to enhance Marylanders’ access to quality and affordable health care. The bill puts in place the remaining policies necessary for the State’s health benefit exchange to begin operations and expands Medicaid eligibility to ensure coverage for the State’s most financially vulnerable. 

To spur competition among plans, the ACA created the Multi-state Plan Program (MSPP). The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which administers health insurance programs for federal employees and members of Congress, will certify and oversee health insurance issuers to offer at least two plans in every state exchange. This policy brief explores the background of the MSPP, the challenges facing OPM in administering it, and the issues associated with offering health insurance plans in multiple states.