Three western states which had gotten tentative go-aheads to run their own online health insurance websites — Utah, Idaho and New Mexico — are running out of time to be ready for an Oct. 1 launch and experts doubt they will get green lights from the federal government.
“We are not seeing enough progress that these states can easily get to final approval,” said Caroline Pearson, vice president of consulting firm Avalere Health.
If the states fall short, it means the federal government would be in charge of running an insurance website for 36 states, far more than imagined when the federal health law known as Obamacare passed.
Several million people are expected to start using the online websites to purchase individual health insurance and determine if they are eligible for government subsidies to help buy private coverage or Medicaid, the state-federal health program for poor. Open enrollment is slated to begin in October, with coverage taking effect Jan. 1.