Exchanges Remain as a Portion of Obamacare Is Delayed

"In a significant setback for President Obama’s signature domestic initiative, the administration on Tuesday abruptly announced a one-year delay, until 2015, in his health care law’s mandate that larger employers provide coverage for their workers or pay penalties," writes the New York Times. The post added: "While the postponement technically does not affect other central provisions of the law — in particular those establishing health insurance marketplaces in the states, known as exchanges, where uninsured Americans can shop for policies — it threatens to throw into disarray the administration’s effort to put those provisions into effect by Jan. 1." Starting next year, individuals without employer-based health insurance will have to purchase insurance or face the penalties. Read more.

Most States Refuse to Set Up Health Insurance Exchanges

“The Obama administration said Friday that more than half the states had rejected its pleas to set up their own health insurance exchanges, dealing a setback to President Obama’s hopes that Republicans would join a White House campaign to provide health insurance to all Americans,” according to a New York Times post.“Friday was the deadline for states to notify the federal government of their plans, and administration officials had been hoping that Mr. Obama’s re-election would overcome resistance to the new health care law.Federal officials said they knew of 17 states that intended to run their own exchanges, as Congress intended.” Read more. FYI: The exchanges can set up insurance programs that would help with the coverage of vision care for children.