April 7, 2011: West Virginia became the second state to authorize the establishment of an insurance exchange on April 4, 2011, when Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed legislation approving the move. The West Virginia Health Benefit Exchange will be set up within the state’s insurance commissioner’s office and will be open to both the individual and small-group markets.
California is the only other state that has passed legislation to establish an insurance exchange under the federal Affordable Care Act. California differs from West Virginia in that it will initially operate two separate exchanges for its individual and small-group markets. However, the governing structures of the two exchanges are similar, with both establishing governing boards that operate within state government.
View the text of the West Virginia Health Benefit Exchange Act.
Recommended Reading
”Health Insurance Exchanges: Implementation and Data Considerations for States and Existing Models for Comparison” – This SHADAC issue brief presents key implementation and data considerations for states as they contemplate the creation and role of exchanges, including (among others): the scope and objectives of the exchange, market coverage and structure, exchange governance, the exchange’s role in plan selection, and exchange funding.