As 2014 approaches, uncertainty continues to mount over whether or not the federal government will be ready to open and operate the highly publicized Affordable Insurance Exchanges, also known as Marketplaces. On Tuesday, April 23, 2013 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a Marketplace Timeline. This timeline outlines the various dates in 2013 by which a variety of Marketplace implementation steps are anticipated to take place, and includes dates for policy decisions, operations and IT, steps for issuers and states, and information on consumer assistance.
At only 2 pages in length, the timeline does not provide a great amount of detail on Marketplace implementation or the steps necessary to get a Marketplace up and running. Remember, when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted, the federal government and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not anticipate such a large number of states either refusing to set up a state-based Exchange or elect a state-federal partnership Exchange. As a result, there is much more work to do than was anticipated to get the Marketplaces up and running in time for open enrollment in October 2013.
In the timeline, CMS states that it will re-launch www.healthcare.gov as well as a call center in June 2013. CMS intends to use www.healthcare.gov not only as a source of information on healthcare reform, but also as the online hub for consumers to create accounts, apply for health insurance coverage, and shop for qualified health plans offered through a federally facilitated or state partnership Marketplace.
The timeline also states, in all caps, that enrollment will being in October 2013. Hill, Chesson & Woody continues to monitor developments in the implementation of the Marketplaces. With October only a few short months away, employers, consumers and insurance carriers are anxiously awaiting more information on the Marketplaces.
