{"id":13177,"date":"2012-11-16T15:59:23","date_gmt":"2012-11-16T22:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=13177"},"modified":"2012-11-16T17:25:59","modified_gmt":"2012-11-17T00:25:59","slug":"insurance-exchange-delay-gives-gov-otter-more-time-to-get-guidance-from-feds-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/11\/16\/insurance-exchange-delay-gives-gov-otter-more-time-to-get-guidance-from-feds-lawmakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Insurance Exchange Delay Gives Gov. Otter More Time To Get Guidance From Feds, Lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mark Wilson \/ Getty Images News<\/p>

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday granted states more time to decide whether to create their own health insurance exchanges.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/strong>Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said today<\/a> that he will confer with Idaho legislators and try to get more information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before coming to a decision about whether the state should build its own health insurance exchange<\/a>.\u00a0 The state’s other options are to leave it to the federal government, or pursue a federal-state partnership.<\/p>\n

Today was the original deadline for that decision, but HHS granted states a one-month reprieve yesterday, based on a request from the Republican Governors Association<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The governor’s Health Insurance Exchange Working Group last month recommended<\/a> that Idaho adopt a state-based exchange.\u00a0 But the governor’s press secretary, Jon Hanian, said in an email that the governor shares some of the questions<\/a> included in the Republican Governors Association’s letter<\/a>.\u00a0 The questions include things like, “When will the details of the federal partnership options be available?”<\/p>\n

The decision to delay a decision will no doubt please the legislators who continue to believe the state should resist implementing the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n

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