Deadline Extended for State Exchanges

DJ Wilson | Nov 9, 2012 |

Today, November 9, the Obama administration gave states an extra month to submit plans to set up state-based health insurance exchanges, pushing the deadline back from Nov. 16 to Dec. 14.

Kaiser Health News calls this:

“A concession to the reality that many states had delayed planning as they waited to see who won the presidential election.”

States will still be required to tell federal regulators whether or not they intend to establish their own Exchange by Nov. 16, but their actual plan to do so is due Dec. 14.

This announcement comes following a letter to Governors from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who wrote:

The deadline for a Declaration Letter for a State-based Exchange remains Friday, November 16, 2012.

However, today, in order to continue to provide you with appropriate technical support if you are pursuing a State-based Exchange, HHS is extending the deadline for State-based Exchange Blueprint application submissions to Friday, December 14, 2012.

HHS will approve or conditionally approve the State-based Exchanges for 2014 by the statutory deadline of January 1, 2013.