How State Exchanges Are Faring Under Obamacare

Melissa Quinn / June 08, 2015

All eyes are on the federal and state health insurance exchanges in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case King v. Burwell. In anticipation of the ruling, a Daily Signal analysis of the 17 exchanges originally established by states and the District of Columbia found that more than half are struggling after facing technological troubles and low enrollment during their first two years of existence.

The state exchanges collectively received more than $4.2 billion in grants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assist with their launch, and those exchanges must be self-sustaining by 2016. To raise money, many of the state exchanges are considering raising fees or partnering with those that have been successful.

The board for Hawaii’s state-run exchange voted Friday to move to the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov. Hawaii became the third state to jump from a state-run exchange to the federal one. It will use the federal exchange for the 2016 open enrollment period.

Here is where the exchanges founded in 16 states and the District of Columbia stand today.

>>> Commentary: There’s Broad Support for Congress to Reduce Insurance Costs in Response to King v. Burwell

(Infographic: Melissa Bluey)