Quick roundup of news concerning the exchanges

There’s been a lot of information circulating in the news about the federal health exchange this week. Here are six articles I consider worth reading up on: 

• The consumer experience at state run health exchanges appear to be much better than those at exchanges run by the federal government, according to a New York Times report last week: 

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/us/politics/uninsured-find-more-success-via-health-exchanges-run-by-states.html?_r=0

• Experts agree that the success of the health exchanges depends, in part, on younger, less sick (lower cost) consumers signing up. According to an initial analysis of the sign up, that seems to be happening:

LINK: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131015/NEWS/310159967/large-percentages-of-young-people-signing-up-at-insurance-exchanges

• The federal government will spend about $10,000 subsidizing health insurance costs for a poor, middle-aged man who lives in Georgia - and just $3,000 buying the same guy in nearby Tennessee a near-identical plan. The cost variation in the federal exchanges is wide: 

LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/13/the-cost-of-obamacare-varies-wildly-by-state/

• For the past 12 days, a federal health exchange system costing more than $400 million and billed as a one-stop click-and-go hub for citizens seeking health insurance has thwarted the efforts of millions to simply log in. The growing national outcry has deeply embarrassed the White House, which has refused to say how many people have enrolled through the federal exchange:

LINK: http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_24310073/federal-health-exchange-rollout-plagued-by-delays-missteps

• House Republicans last week called on the Obama Administration to suspend penalties for consumers because of all the trouble they continue to have signing up.

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/news/affordable-care-act/2013/10/09/house-republicans-argue-for-delay-in-health-law-penalties/

• If you want to put it all in perspective, the last time there was a huge rollout of a new Medicare benefit - the Part D drug program - there were huge glitches. 

LINK: http://ccf.georgetown.edu/all/how-does-acas-first-week-compare-to-medicare-part-ds/