Some state and federal officials are falling behind setting up new health-insurance exchanges for small businesses, which could leave employers in the region waiting longer than expected for the competitive pricing they were promised under the health-care law.
The Government Accountability Office has warned that federal and state officials still have a long way to go in “a relatively short amount of time” to set up the new online marketplaces, called exchanges, where small-business owners will be able to shop for health plans from various insurance providers.
The health-care law required states to set up the exchanges by October, giving the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the same time frame to establish a marketplace for firms in states that chose to leave the chore to the federal government.
Now, three months away, it appears those deadlines could be missed.
