None of the states seem completely ready for the Oct. 1 launch of the new online health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a consultant whose company has been involved in exchange design and development has said, according to a Reuters report.
W. Brett Graham of the consulting firm Leavitt Partners — which tracks exchange progress across the country — has told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that most, if not all, of the state-facilitated exchanges will experience a bumpy start because of ongoing technology challenges. The limited amount of time states have had to get their exchanges up and running is also a factor in the implementation difficulties, according to the report.
Some states have experienced problems integrating the health insurance exchange technology with Medicaid and other systems, and some have had to cut back on planned functions such as online chat capabilities for the exchange websites, Mr. Graham told lawmakers, according to the report.
Meanwhile, technology contractors have informed the same House committee that the federally facilitated exchanges are on schedule to open for enrollment Oct. 1, according to the report.
In contrast with Mr. Graham's statements, officials administering California's new online health insurance marketplace, Covered California, have said computer tests indicated the website will be ready for open enrollment Oct. 1, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Last month, officials warned the site might not be ready by the deadline. However, after performing some tests, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee told the Times it looks like the exchange website is in "very good shape."
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