Mississippi, Nevada Wrestle With The Development Of Their Health Exchanges
In other state and local health law implementation news, the health law may prove key to Detroit's efforts to manuever its bankruptcy process. Also, opponents in many states focus on limiting what they see as "the long arm of Washington."
Politico: Mississippi Insurance Commissioner's ACA Plan
After suffering through a high-profile intraparty squabble with the governor and averting a near disaster for the state’s insurance marketplace, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney is giving another go at running an Obamacare exchange. This time, the Republican commissioner is looking to run just the state's exchange for small businesses while letting the feds oversee the new insurance marketplace for individuals — an option the Department of Health and Human Services only recently made available to states reluctant to do the entire lift (Millman, 7/29).
The Associated Press: Nevada's Insurance Exchange Work In Progress
Nevada's health insurance exchange won't have all the bells and whistles initially hoped for when it launches Oct. 1. But state officials said the glitches should be minimal for consumers and the all kinks worked out by early next year. CJ Bawden, spokesman for the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange that was created by the 2011 Legislature to set up Nevada's online health insurance marketplace, said there are some "nice to haves" that won't be available when enrollment begins (Chereb, 7/28).
The New York Times: Detroit Looks To Health Law To Ease Costs
As Detroit enters the federal bankruptcy process, the city is proposing a controversial plan for paring some of the $5.7 billion it owes in retiree health costs: pushing many of those too young to qualify for Medicare out of city-run coverage and into the new insurance markets that will soon be operating under the Obama health care law (Davey and Goodnough, 7/28).
Politico: States Seek To Nullify Obama Efforts
Infuriated by what they see as the long arm of Washington reaching into their business, states are increasingly telling the feds: Keep out! Bills that would negate a variety of federal laws have popped up this year in the vast majority of states — with the amount of anti-federal legislation sharply on the rise during the Obama administration, according to experts (Kopan, 7/28).
