Lt. Gov. Taylor, HHS Regional Director to speak at HPIO forum on exchanges

On Feb. 29, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio will host a forum on Ohio’s options for health insurance exchanges, with a slate of speakers that includes Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, HHS Region V Director Kenneth Munson and a panel of Ohio legislators.

The event, which also will include a presentation from Tricia Brooks, Senior Fellow at Center for Children and Families, and Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Columbus Athenaeum. For more information or to register, please visit www.hpio.net/events. Registration is open until Wednesday, Feb. 22.

One of the cornerstones of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the establishment of affordable insurance exchanges where consumers and small businesses can shop for, select and enroll in private health insurance plans. Under the ACA, exchanges must be operational by Jan. 1, 2014. States have the option of establishing and operating their own exchanges or ceding establishment and operation of exchanges to the federal government. Alternatively, states may elect to establish a hybrid exchange model operated as a state-federal partnership.

Given the tight timeline for implementation, now is the time for states to be thinking about their options. If the ACA is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, state officials must be prepared to make a decision on which exchange model is best for their state. If the state chooses the state-run model or the hybrid model, many more key decisions will follow that will affect nearly every Ohioan.