HHS Announces New Grants for State Implementation of Health Insurance Exchanges - January 25, 2011

On Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced states may begin submitting applications to CMS for the planning and establishment of state-operated health insurance exchanges. The application deadline for the first round of grants is March 30, 2011, but states will have multiple opportunities between now and June 2012 to apply for such planning grants, depending on each states’ needs and planned expenditures. In addition, states can either apply for multi-year funding if they are moving forward with exchanges at a fast pace, or they can apply for grants each project year if their planning takes a more step-by-step approach. Under the Affordable Care Act, states must establish health insurance exchanges by 2014.