KTVL CBS Channel 10 Mailing List

No Text ZoneWe Know Why You Are AwakeNews10 LiveLinks From Our Broadcast

Forecast

Today: A 20 percent chance of showers before 11am. Becoming mostly sunny.   Hhgh near 70.  Wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight:
Mostly cloudy.  Low around 47. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming.

Saturday:
A 20 percent chance of rain ... More
Washington Guardian
KTVL CBS Channel 10 :: Advertise with us!

KTVL:: News - Health Care Reform

States have until Friday to decide on health care exchanges

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar/Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nineteen states have turned down the Obama administration's invitation to run the new health insurance markets that will begin serving millions of uninsured Americans less than a year from now. That puts a huge task on the feds, a defining challenge for President Barack Obama's second term.

Friday is decision day for states to notify Washington if they will set up their own insurance exchanges under the federal health care law. Monitoring by The Associated Press finds a divided nation moving ahead, despite the misgivings of some state officials. Half the states now say they will participate in some way.

Still, drafters of the law did not anticipate that so many states would remain on the sidelines at this late stage. Federal control of the new state markets where individuals, families and small businesses will shop for taxpayer-subsidized private coverage was seen as a failsafe, not the standard for nearly half the country. Critics predict delays.

All of the states refusing are led by Republicans.

On the other side of the ledger, 17 states and Washington, D.C., say they want to set up and run their own markets. The administration has already started granting approvals. Eight other states have indicated they want to pursue a partnership with Washington, and more may do so. Only six remain undecided.

Exchanges are the gateway to the new health care law for individuals and families who buy their own health insurance, as well as for small businesses.

Currently, it's hard to tell what's a good plan or a fair price. You can get turned down if you have a medical problem, charged more if you are older or a woman. The health care law forbids insurers from turning away the sick, limits what they can charge older people and bans gender-based surcharges. It also requires virtually all Americans to get coverage or face fines.

Exchanges are supposed to make picking health insurance like buying an airline ticket from an online travel site like Orbitz or Expedia.

There will be a website, and you'll be able to put in your ZIP code and get a list of available health plans. There will be a section where you can find out if you qualify for subsidies, or for Medicaid. There will be cost calculators to allow you to compare different levels of coverage: platinum, gold, silver and bronze. There will be tools that allow you to see if your doctor or hospital is with a particular plan.

Middle-class consumers will be able to find out if they are eligible for government help with their premiums for private insurance. Initially, nearly 9 of every 10 taking part will get assistance.

Low-income people can use the exchanges to find out whether they are eligible for expanded Medicaid coverage under the law. In addition to deciding how to implement exchanges, states must also decide whether to accept the Medicaid expansion. There's no deadline set for that decision, and most are still weighing options.

Open enrollment for exchange plans starts next Oct. 1, and coverage begins Jan. 1, 2014. Initially around 10 million people are expected to sign up, growing rapidly thereafter. California, New York and Kentucky are among the states that have opted to create their own exchanges. Among those passing are Texas, Georgia and Kansas. Partnership states include Illinois and West Virginia.

Republican governors rejecting state exchanges have cited a variety of reasons. Some say the administration has not provided enough information. Others say there's too much federal regulation. Most have concerns about costs. But some Republican leaders have broken ranks, including governors in Idaho, Nevada and New Mexico, and the insurance commissioner in Mississippi.

In announcing his support for a state exchange this week, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said, "it would be irresponsible of me to simply abandon the field to federal bureaucrats. In the face of uncertainty we must assert our independence and our commitment to self-determination, while fulfilling our responsibility to the rule of law."

Indeed, exchanges have a Republican pedigree. The idea was pioneered in Massachusetts under then-Gov. Mitt Romney's health care overhaul.

"All this is full of irony," said consultant Jon Kingsdale, who founded the Massachusetts exchange for Romney. "If you had asked many of those (Republican) governors four years ago before this got politicized, it would have been a no-brainer: 'We want the states to do it.'"

The health care law increased the power of the federal government, but states that run their own exchanges retain important roles overseeing insurance plans, addressing consumer issues and coordinating between the new marketplace and their Medicaid plans. That last item may be the most important, since Medicaid is a major component of state budgets.

Critics of the law believe the Obama administration will be overwhelmed trying to set up so many exchanges in states that are hostile to the idea. Some say the president may have to accept delays, perhaps in the face-saving context of budget negotiations where a delay would count as savings. Publicly, administration officials are adamant that won't happen, and independent observers are starting to believe them.

"It would be politically unwise for the president to delay the start of these benefits," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, a market analysis firm. "If this is going to be a legacy item, he's got to move forward."

The key to that will be something called the federal exchange, the fallback, which is on a tight development schedule overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The government has awarded two big technology contracts for exchanges. Virginia-based CGI Federal Inc. is building the federal exchange. Maryland-based Quality Software Services Inc. is building what's called the federal data services hub, an electronic back office that will be used by the federal exchange and state exchanges to verify identity, income, citizenship and legal residence.

Estimated price tag for the federal exchange: at least $860 million.

"We are all keenly aware that open enrollment is coming quickly," said Gary Cohen, who heads the HHS office overseeing the rollout. "And we will be ready to open our doors."

Associated Press writer John Miller in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

Online

States have until Friday to decide on health care exchanges

Thursday, December 13 2012, 05:49 PM CST

Links

Links

Should the Affordable Care Act be repealed?
 
Yes
No
First Name:
City / State:
Email:
Comments:

Please re-enter the code shown in the image below.

Retype

Should the Affordable Care Act be repealed?

75% Yes
25% No



 
  • ktvl :: News - Your Voice. Your Future.

    Your Voice. Your Future.

    As the country faces challenges from federal budget issues to jobs and national debt, your voice is critical to the future.
  • ktvl :: News - Medfords Most Wanted

    Medfords Most Wanted

    Each week, News10 looks at the Rogue Valley's most wanted criminals and finds out who has been caught.
  • ktvl :: News - On The Town

    On The Town

    On the Town highlights local entertainment activities from concerts at the Craterian, to plays, parades and fun runs, for the week and weekends in Medford and counties in Southern Oregon.
  • ktvl :: News - Health Care Reform

    Health Care Reform

     The Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act sparked a new battle. Check here daily for the latest developments, locally and across the country.
  • ktvl :: News - Southern Oregon Mommy

    Southern Oregon Mommy

    My Southern Oregon Mommy's Jackie Landy knows how to save.
    Watch her on Wednesday with the latest coupon deals. And follow her.
  • ktvl :: News - Biscuit Fire:Ten Years Later

    Biscuit Fire:Ten Years Later

    It has been ten years since the Biscuit Fire scorched 500,00 acres in the Siskiyou National Forest.

  • ktvl :: News - Tasty Topics

    Tasty Topics

    We've all seen News10's Trish Glose tasting food on West Coast Flavors. Now she has more space to talk about food and drink!
  • ktvl :: News - No Text Zone

    No Text Zone

    Texting While Driving Kills Thousands of People Each Year. Many More are Seriously Injured. You Can Help Make Our Roads a NO TEXT ZONE
  • ktvl :: News - Washington Guardian

    Washington Guardian

    The Washington Guardian is an online newspaper committed to providing watchdog journalism from the nation's capital aimed at safeguarding everyday Americans' tax dollars, security and freedoms.
  • ktvl :: News - Reality Check

    Reality Check

    How are your tax dollars being spent? Reality Check tracks whether local, state and federal governments or any groups are using your money wisely...or wasting it.
  • ktvl :: News - Raw News

    Raw News

    Watch News10 Raw Video.
    This is unedited video from our reporters.
  • ktvl :: News - Your View

    Your View

    When you see news, share it with us. Your View is the perfect place to share the video and photos you capture your town.
  • ktvl :: News - Green Wednesday

    Green Wednesday

    There are limits to our natural resources and News 10's Green Wednesday provides information on how we can be better stewards of the environment.

  • ktvl :: News - Cool Schools

    Cool Schools

    News10 is visiting Medford elementary schools and letting them show us what makes their school great.
  • ktvl :: News - Mr. Food

    Mr. Food

    Mr. Food has been cooking up simple ideas for his TV segments for more than 30 years. Mr. Food, AKA Art Ginsburg, continues to find fresh ideas for cooking up fun in the kitchen.
  • ktvl :: News - To Your Health

    To Your Health

    Dr. Dan, Monday KTVL News10 at 5 answers your health questions and discusses the latest developments in medecine. If you have questions, find the e-mail address and mailing address at ktvl.com.
  • ktvl :: News - West Coast Flavors

    West Coast Flavors

    Who doesn't love good food? News 10 invites area chefs to the West Coast Appliance kitchen to cook up their favorite recipes.

  • ktvl :: News - Walk on the Wild Side

    Walk on the Wild Side

    Walk on the Wild Side is a weekly segment on KTVL featuring Wildlife Images, a private non-profit established in 1981 to care for and treat sick, injured and orphaned wildlife indigenous to the Pacific ...
  • ktvl :: News - Rogue Gardener

    Rogue Gardener

    Stan Mapolski, aka The Rogue Gardener, is an expert gardener and landscaper who has spent 35 years as a landscape contractor, nurseryman and nature enthusiast. He appears weekly on KTVL Channel 10 during ...
  • ktvl :: News - Pet Doctor

    Pet Doctor

    Each Tuesday on News10 at 5 join Dr. Stephen Bernard as he answers your questions and discusses topics of interest for all pet lovers.
  • ktvl :: News - Crime Stoppers

    Crime Stoppers

    Crime Stoppers, Medford, Southern Oregon's answer to crime at ktvl.com. Find a police report of the active case, descriptons of suspects, vehicle information, rewards.

  • ktvl :: News - Rogue Gangs

    Rogue Gangs

    Gangs are a growing concern for police in Southern Oregon and Northern California. News 10 is taking an in-depth look at the issue.
  • ktvl :: News - Links from Our Broadcast

    Links from Our Broadcast

    Links and numbers from our newscasts at KTVL News10, Medford, Southern Oregon's news source. Relevant links to research topics of interest or to contact organizations.

  • ktvl :: News - Consumer Links

    Consumer Links

    Consumer information, links and numbers. Useful links to protect and educate the consumer from the Oregon and California State Departments, the federal government and other Associations.
  • ktvl :: News - Safety Links

    Safety Links

    Safety - links and numbers at ktvl.com. Emergency preparedness plans for Curry, Jackson, and Josephine counties' citizens. Links to California and Oregon Emergency Management Offices, National Safety Council, ...
  • ktvl :: News - Voting Links

    Voting Links

    Links to websites full of information and background material, as well as sites that help you take action.
  • ktvl :: News - Local Links

    Local Links

    Local links for Medford, Southern Oregon and Northern California. Community links for Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and Siskiyou Counties, schools, cities, chambers of commerce, Rogue Valley ...

more »

Tonight on KTVL

12:00pm: Golf: HP Byron Nelson Championship
3:00pm: (various)
5:00pm: CSI: Miami
6:00pm: News10 at 6
6:30pm: The CBS Evening News
7:00pm: Criminal Minds
8:00pm: Elementary
9:00pm: Criminal Minds
10:00pm: 48 Hours
11:00pm: News10 at 11
11:30pm: Ring of Honor
12:30am: Paid Program
1:00am: Inside Edition Weekend

Complete Schedule »