National Journal Speaks to Manatt Professionals on Progress of State-Run Exchanges Versus Federal Exchange
"The Splintering of America's Health System is Underway"
National Journal
November 24, 2013 - The National Journal spoke to Manatt's Joel Ario and Patricia Boozang, both of whom are managing directors with Manatt Health Solutions, on why some state-run exchanges are surpassing those that are federally run.
The National Journal reports that the federally run exchanges are at a near-standstill due to a buggy website, while a handful of state exchanges are beating their enrollment goals handily. Although Healthcare.gov could have been better designed and executed, the Affordable Care Act's architects never expected the federal government to be tasked with managing 36 states' exchanges. The difference in the degree of difficulty between creating and operating an exchange for one state versus 36 states was more than what the federal government could handle.
"I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone that [the process] is not working as well at the federal level as it is for the state marketplaces," said Boozang. "States have an ability to be nimble both in their approach to their system design and responding to issues that crop up ... in a way that's very difficult for the federal government."
The federal exchange's architects envisioned it as a backup, only to be used in case of emergency if a handful of states were struggling to get their own exchange working on time. But HealthCare.gov is instead becoming a permanent solution, out of necessity. As the law moves forward, many industry insiders see reason to believe that the gap will eventually shrink.
"If the states don't step up, the federal government in a few years will be able to figure this out," said Ario. "I don't think it will be as nimble or responsive as it could be, but it will be functional."
Read the article here.