HHS Approves Health Insurance Exchanges for Two More States, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Dec. 14 it has given tentative approval to applications filed by two more states and the District of Columbia to launch health insurance exchanges in 2014 in which the uninsured, among others, can obtain coverage.

Kentucky and New York join the District of Columbia in receiving the latest approvals. In all, exchange applications filed by eight states, plus the District of Columbia, have received tentative regulatory approval.

This week, HHS announced it had conditionally approved applications filed by Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which authorized the exchanges, the federal government can set up exchanges in states that decline to do so.

States have until Dec. 14 to notify the federal government on whether they will set up exchanges.

Jerry Geisel writes for Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.

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