…Obamacare begins. On October 1, 2013, the enrollment period opens for consumers to purchase heavily regulated health plans via state and federal health insurance exchanges. Thus far, 34 states have opted for a federal exchange – leaving a HUGE task for the federal government to take on before the approaching deadline.
While one should never assume, the Obama Administration assumed that states would want to remain “in the driver’s seat” and establish their own online health insurance marketplaces. States soon figured out, however, that the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was granted TOTAL control over a state’s exchange design and framework. Sebelius holds power to mandate specific requirements and grant approval of a state exchange. Because of so much federal oversight, a state exchange is essentially a federal exchange.
And so the countdown begins to establish all 34 federal exchanges. This chart gives one an idea of the administrative and technical details that must be fully operating within each exchange. But designing the framework is half the battle. As Sarah Kliff reports in the New York Times,
Even if the technological launch goes off without a hitch, that won’t be much good if no shoppers show up to the marketplace.
Enticing consumers to sign up for health insurance will be an exhausting task for the Obama Administration. The federal health law continues to remain unpopular among the public since a majority of the population will be paying higher premiums to subsidize the old and sick.
