HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that states would have four more weeks to decide whether to operate their own health insurance exchanges under the healthcare reform law.
In a letter to Republican Govs. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana (PDF) and the Republican Governors Association, Sebelius said states could express their intent at the same time they submit a blueprint for how they would operate the exchange, which they must do by Dec. 14. Last week HHS said states would have to say by Nov. 16 if they intended to set up an exchange rather than have one operated by, or in partnership with, the federal government.
At least two Republican-led states have indicated they plan to pursue state-run health insurance exchanges in the lead-up to what they believed was a Friday deadline.
Officials in New Mexico and Mississippi plan to submit letters of intent to operate a health insurance marketplace, according to media reports. However, complications are possible in both states.