Utah is among the first three Republican-led states to win conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to run their own health exchanges.
Also approved on Thursday were New Mexico and Nevada.
It’s not immediately clear what conditions Utah must meet in order to have its exchange, Avenue H, fully certified as compliant with the Affordable Care Act. More information will be released Thursday afternoon at a press conference.
Exchanges are designed to be a "no wrong door" portal to health coverage where consumers can compare plans, see if they’re eligible for federal subsidies to purchase them, or enroll in low-income programs such as Medicaid.
Utah already has a "shop" exchange for small businesses, Avenue H, which Gov. Gary Herbert asked the feds to declare as good enough for Obamacare.
Herbert has promised to open it to individuals and larger employers and to enforce new insurance price controls and consumer protections. But he has argued that the customer outreach and hand-holding required to help people navigate insurance options are a waste of money and unrealistic.
His proposal was widely viewed as a test case of just how much leeway the Obama administration is willing to give states in running their own exchanges.Salt Lake Tribune
