Nearly two years after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the department of Health and Human Services this week finally issued its guidelines regarding the now-infamous state exchanges.

Let's just set aside for now the troubling fact that the feds have already handed out cash to 33 states to help set them up – months before these actual guidelines dropped.

I'm still wading through the nearly 650-page set of rules, so it's a little early to offer much in the way of insight or critique, but I'm encouraged that the states appear to have a great deal of leeway in how these things will be set up and run. Even if the feds (once again) put the cart before the horse on this one.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.