| Federal Grant Lets Maryland Set Up Health Insurance Exchange
Maryland is one of seven states to receive a competitive
federal grant to help it set up a statewide health insurance exchange,
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced.
The $6.2 million grant follows a $1 million insurance
exchange planning grant the state previously received to help set up
its exchange, required under the federal health care law.
The two-year grants went to those states that have
proposals to build web-based health care exchangesand will help states
with IT infrastructure costs.
The federal health care reform law mandates that states
set up their own insurance exchange by 2012. By 2014, the exchange must
be fully operational. The idea of an exchange is to provide a
marketplace for consumers to easily find the best and most affordable
plan to fit their needs.
As Maryland moves forward with implementing health care
reform and establishing the new exchange, state health officials say
they plan on applying for more federal grants that may become
available.
Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was
signed into law last year, Maryland has received 20 grants totaling
more than $110 million related to health care reform efforts.
Address: Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC 20201; www.hhs.gov.
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