February 15 marked the most recent milestone in the ACA’s progress – the deadline for states to submit applications for state-partnership exchanges. Seven states have now submitted partnership applications: Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. So far, Arkansas, Illinois, and Delaware have been conditionally approved.
In addition to the seven states now pursuing partnerships, 17 states and the District of Columbia have been conditionally approved to run state-based exchanges, and 26 states have opted for the fully federally facilitated exchange. However, those with conditional approval now have a new set of state-specific deadlines to meet in establishing their state-based or partnership exchanges, as set by the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) in their approval letters. Thus, the type of exchange these conditionally approved states ultimately operate may change in the coming months as states accelerate their efforts to meet the January 1, 2014 implementation date.
