Virginia- Deadline Looms for Virginia to Set Health Benefit Exchanges

While Virginia waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to act on the constitutionality of federal health care reform, the clock keeps ticking on a deadline for states to establish health benefit exchanges or accept federal control of the new market.

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With the legal challenge pending, Gov. Bob McDonnell and other Republican leaders in the General Assembly thwarted legislative efforts this year to set state policy for creating a health insurance exchange in Virginia.

But the McDonnell administration is working behind the scenes on key components of health care reform that must be in place by a Jan. 1, 2013, deadline to demonstrate Virginia's readiness to establish a state-run exchange by 2014.

Consumer advocates and health insurers say the state has no time to spare.

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Eleven health insurance plans already want to participate in a Virginia exchange, but they are waiting for answers from the governor and legislature, which would have to address the issues in a special session this year to meet the deadline.

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The Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council will begin meeting again next month to consider a number of pending policy concerns, but the group's recommendations to McDonnell last fall still haven't been endorsed by the governor or acted on by the General Assembly.


http://www2.timesdispatch.com/special_section/virginia-politics/2012/mar/26/tdmain01-deadline-looms-for-va-to-set-health-benef-ar-1793627/

Hat Tip: Richmond Times-Dispatch