Directory of Health Benefit Exchanges
For further Information about Health Insurance Exchanges, see:
Status of the Health Benefit Exchanges
The Affordable Care Act requires the creation of an online health benefit exchange in each state.
The exchanges will be online marketplaces to enable consumers to purchase health insurance in the same way they buy travel services from online marketplaces like Expedia. The exchanges must be capable of enrolling consumers by October 1, 2013 for coverage starting January 1, 2014.
Each state has three options for the type of health benefit exchange that will operate in their state:
- a state-run exchange where the state will operate all aspects of the exchange;
- a state-federal partnership where the state will operate some functions of the exchange and the federal government will operate other functions; and
- a federally operated exchange to be run by the federal government.
States deciding on a state-run exchange must submit a blueprint to the Department of Health and Human Services by December 14, 2012. States deciding on a state-federal partnership must submit their blueprint by February 15, 2013. States meeting neither deadline will have a federally operated exchange by default.
As of December 14, 2012, 16 states plus the District of Columbia have decided to operate state-run exchanges, five states have decided to operate a state-federal partnership, and eight states have decided on a federally operated exchange. Decisions are still pending in the remaining 21 states, though these states might find themselves opting for the federally operated exchanges by default.
Many states which have opted for a federally operated exchange and states with their decisions still pending are controlled by Republicans philosophically opposed to the Affordable Care Act, which they derisively refer to as ObamaCare. Ironically, these red states may end up ceding more power to the federal government than the blue states, since the federal government may operate their health benefit exchanges due to their inaction in creating their own exchanges.
Current Information on Health Benefit Exchanges
The following table provides a state directory of health benefit exchanges. This table is current as of December 14, 2012. The links to the exchanges are expected to undergo many changes as the exchanges are created and modified in the coming year leading up to the October 1, 2013 deadline for these exchanges becoming operational.
State Directory of Health Benefit Exchanges (as of 12/14/2012)
State
| Type of Exchange
| Link to Exchange or Status Information
|
|---|---|---|
Alabama
| Pending
| http://www.aldoi.gov/Consumers/HealthInsReform.aspx
|
Alaska
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Arizona
| Pending
| N/A
|
Arkansas
| State-federal partnership
| N/A
|
California
| State-run exchange
| http://www.healthexchange.ca.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
|
Colorado
| State-run exchange
| http://www.coloradohealthinsuranceexchange.us/
|
Connecticut
| State-run exchange
| http://www.ct.gov/hix/site/default.asp
|
Delaware
| State-federal partnership
| http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhcc/
|
District of Columbia
| DC-run exchange
| http://healthreform.dc.gov/DC/Health+Reform/Insurance+Coverage+Options/Health+Insurance+Exchange
|
Florida
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Georgia
| Pending
| N/A
|
Hawaii
| State-run exchange
| http://www.hawaiihealthconnector.com/
|
Idaho
| Pending
| N/A
|
Illinois
| State-federal partnership
| http://insurance.illinois.gov/hiric/hie.asp
|
Indiana
| Pending
| N/A
|
Iowa
| State-run exchange
| http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcr_committees/health_benefit_exchange.asp
|
Kansas
| Pending
| N/A
|
Kentucky
| State-run exchange
| N/A
|
Louisiana
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Maine
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Maryland
| State-run exchange
| http://marylandhbe.com/
|
Massachusetts
| State-run exchange
| https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/site/connector
|
Michigan
| State-federal partnership
| N/A
|
Minnesota
| Pending
| N/A
|
Mississippi
| Pending
| N/A
|
Missouri
| Pending
| N/A
|
Mountana
| Pending
| N/A
|
Nebraska
| Pending
| N/A
|
Nevada
| State-run exchange
| http://exchange.nv.gov/
|
New Hampshire
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
New Jersey
| Pending
| N/A
|
New Mexico
| Pending
| N/A
|
New York
| State-run exchange
| http://healthbenefitexchange.ny.gov/
|
North Carolina
| State-federal partnership
| N/A
|
North Dakota
| Pending
| N/A
|
Ohio
| Pending
| N/A
|
Oklahoma
| Pending
| N/A
|
Oregon
| State-run exchange
| http://coveroregon.com/
|
Pennsylvania
| Pending
| N/A
|
Rhode Island
| State-run exchange
| http://www.healthcare.ri.gov/
|
South Carolina
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
South Dakota
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Tennessee
| Pending
| N/A
|
Texas
| Federally operated exchange
| N/A
|
Utah
| State-run exchange
| http://www.exchange.utah.gov/
|
Vermont
| State-run exchange
| http://hcr.vermont.gov/timeline/exchange
|
Virginia
| Pending
| N/A
|
Washington
| State-run exchange
| http://www.hca.wa.gov/hbe
|
West Virginia
| State-run exchange
| http://bewv.wvinsurance.gov/
|
Wisconsin
| Pending
| N/A
|
Wyoming
| Pending
| N/A
|
