HHS rejected Mississippi's application to run its own health insurance exchange last week due to Gov. Phil Bryant's expressed unwillingness to facilitate its operation, according to a letter from CMS' top exchange official Gary Cohen.
Mr. Cohen, director of the Center of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in CMS, wrote the letter to Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, the Republican behind the effort to launch a state-run exchange rather than a federally-run alternative. Mr. Cohen denied Mr. Chaney's application "because of the Mississippi governor's stated intent to oppose implementation of a state-based exchange."
To be approved, the exchanges must integrate services with other state agencies so that customers on the exchanges can review their eligibility for Medicaid, tax credits and subsidies when purchasing health plans on the online marketplace. Gov. Bryant, like many Republican governors, refused to agree to running and coordinating state participation in the exchanges, opting instead for the federal government to take on the task.
The letter encouraged Chaney to reapply for a state-federal partnership exchange by the Feb. 15 deadline.
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Mr. Cohen, director of the Center of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in CMS, wrote the letter to Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, the Republican behind the effort to launch a state-run exchange rather than a federally-run alternative. Mr. Cohen denied Mr. Chaney's application "because of the Mississippi governor's stated intent to oppose implementation of a state-based exchange."
To be approved, the exchanges must integrate services with other state agencies so that customers on the exchanges can review their eligibility for Medicaid, tax credits and subsidies when purchasing health plans on the online marketplace. Gov. Bryant, like many Republican governors, refused to agree to running and coordinating state participation in the exchanges, opting instead for the federal government to take on the task.
The letter encouraged Chaney to reapply for a state-federal partnership exchange by the Feb. 15 deadline.
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