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CCIIO Director Steve Larsen Assures Federal Exchange Will Be Ready For States

By Chad Grant posted Mar 07,2012 04:18 PM

  

Louisiana, one of the first states to reject a state-run health insurance exchange, hasn't even talked with HHS about a federally run exchange, the state's health secretary said Tuesday.

"We haven't talked about what a federal exchange looks like," said Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, who addressed AHIP's policy conference. "We have a very basic position, and it's easy to explain: We think it's unconstitutional; we think it should be repealed."

Should the Supreme Court uphold the Affordable Care Act, Louisiana won't obstruct its implementation, Greenstein said — a sharp contrast from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's comments Monday that states could oppose the law even if the court finds it constitutional.

"I will implement what the law of the land is, and we'll do it expertly," Greenstein said.

However, Greenstein, a former managing director of worldwide health for Microsoft Corp., doubts the Obama administration will be able to get a federal exchange in place by 2014.

"There's suggestions for some [technical] framework, but to implement one of the most complex nondefense computer systems in the history of our country that outweighs the complexity of the Social Security Administration or welfare or anything in health care today with 9½ months to go is rather a heavy lift," he told the AHIP conference.

CCIIO Director Steve Larsen assured the same conference earlier in the morning that a federal exchange would be ready in time, no matter how many states participate.

"People think there isn't going to be a federal exchange or we're behind," Larsen said. "I can tell you there's a ton of work going on and we will be ready."

Source: Politico Pro


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