(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska - - Governor Sean Parnell (R-AK) today announced that Alaska will not create a state-run health insurance exchange under the new federal health care law. His announcement came after the State of Alaska completed a study on health insurance exchange planning.

“Allocating state dollars and personnel to design and implement an exchange is the most expensive option,” Governor Parnell said. “It doesn’t make sense to spend Alaskans’ dollars to set up an exchange when so much uncertainty exists about how to implement it and how to gain federal approval. Federally mandated programs should be paid for by federal dollars.”

The federal law requires exchanges to be established by 2014. Other states have also decided not to create an exchange including Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas with the list changing daily.

The Affordable Care Act is designed to provide a competitive private health insurance market through the creation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. These State-based, competitive marketplaces, which will launch in 2014, is intended to provide millions of Americans and small businesses with “one-stop shopping” for affordable coverage.

Exchanges will also provide the sole venue where Members of Congress will get their health insurance.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

On the Web:

Read the Affordable Health Care Law
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/full/index.html

How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Alaska (U.S. Government website)
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/ak.html

Source of News: 

HealthCare.gov
www.healthcare.go

Office of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell
www.gov.state.ak.us

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