The Washington Post recently reported that the federal government will run health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 26 states, while seven states will partner with the federal government and 17 states and the District of Columbia will run their own exchanges.
Open enrollment into the exchanges will begin in October and they will be launched in January 2014. Under the ACA, states must create health insurance exchanges to provide coverage options for individuals and small businesses. States had the choice to operate their own exchange, ask the federal government to run an exchange for them or partner with the government to operate an exchange.
February 15 was the deadline for states to declare if they wanted to partner with the federal government on an exchange.
States Exchanges Ramping Up Advertising Efforts To Spur Enrollment
Many states are implementing marketing efforts to boost awareness and spur enrollment in the health care exchanges. Public polls suggest that most U.S. residents know little about the exchanges, new coverage options under the law or the federal subsidies for which low-income individuals can apply. States that will operate their own exchanges are issuing flyers, releasing advertisements or implementing other promotional initiatives.
The federal government also is looking to advertise the federally run exchanges by examining past advertising initiatives, such as those that were used for the 2003 Medicare drug benefit program and the creation of CHIP in 1997.
AASM FAQ for State Exchanges
Although it is difficult to determine how exchanges will affect sleep medicine specifically, the AASM felt it is important to provide members information on how exchanges will be operated. Please visit https://aasm.org/professional-development/state-sleep-societies/ to find further information on this important subject.
