Exchanges Are Mistakes...not Markets

Of course, this only impacts 20 states.

It's ironic that HHS is giving states who want to run their own Exchanges, or partner with HHS, as long as they need to get things ready. Yet, HHS has made virtually no progress in building exchanges for the states that declined to build their own.

For instance, Oklahoma was one of the first states to declare that they wanted HHS to build/operate their exchange. But as of Jan 14th, they've only received two pieces of communication from HHS. Both of them were brief phone calls from HHS, asking questions about Oklahoma insurance regulations. No progress reports or anything meaningful. I think the Texas insurance commissioner said the same thing.
-ac
 
I have no doubt the deadline for exchanges will be met. After all, it has been, what, almost 4 years since Gitmo was closed?
 
Nahu states that all this means is that HHS has given themselves more time to certify state exchanges, but they must still be up and running for Oct 1st.
 
This is nuts! HHS will not allow Mississippi to run its own Exchange. Cites an atmosphere in the state that's not conducive to the state taking care of it's own people.

Story: HHS Denies Mississippi's Plan for Exchange | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Kathleen Sebelius should have denied them from the start if she hated Mississippi so much. Instead, she let state officials do all this work for nothing.

Agents selling Exchange Health Plans will likely experience some sadistic treatment from HHS as well with cancelled contracts & commissions after we're no longer needed. She views us with the same disdain as she views Mississippi.
-ac
 
The states that backed out are the smart ones. No matter what it's called, its a federally run exchange run by state puppeteers. Anyone who wanted to be a little creative, are getting a back handed slap. Utah also gave up on their IFP exchange, they plan on only doing the SHOP.
 
Obama's home state of Illinois thought it was doing a smart thing by "partnering" with the Feds for an Exchange.

Instead Sebelius's HHS rewards Illinois with just 2 weeks to meet 3 lofty deadlines, LOL.

Story: Feds Approve Illinois Health Exchange with Conditions

I suppose Governor Quinn thought an Exchange partnership meant that the Feds would throw money at Illinois and allow the state to do a shoddy despicable job, like it did with PCIP/IPXP.
-ac
 
Obama's home state of Illinois thought it was doing a smart thing by "partnering" with the Feds for an Exchange.

Instead Sebelius's HHS rewards Illinois with just 2 weeks to meet 3 lofty deadlines, LOL.

Story: Feds Approve Illinois Health Exchange with Conditions

I suppose Governor Quinn thought an Exchange partnership meant that the Feds would throw money at Illinois and allow the state to do a shoddy despicable job, like it did with PCIP/IPXP.
-ac

Those are onerous requirements, especially the selection of a vendor to run the exchange within the next 10 days. I wonder who will grease the palms of the right people before then?

Getting the legislature to agree on a state-based exchange will be challenging as well, considering it hasn't yet happened - which was why Gov. Quinn went with the partnership model.

And I noticed that they are still expecting 260 plans and 16 providers on the exchange. Good luck with that. :laugh:
 
Isn't it crazy being a resident of this broke state? Illinois now only has 4 people running the day-to-day operations of the Department of Insurance, yet believe that they can "partner" in a meaningful way with the Federal Government. Give me a break! If Sebelius had ANY brains, she'd just take over and own/run 100% of the Illinois exchange, along with all the other states that dropped that responsibility in her lap.
 
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