States continue to wrestle with politics surrounding the development of health exchanges

Jan 25 2012

Also in the news,  a New Jersey hospital has formed an ACO.

Des Moines Register: Consumer Advocates: Debate Insurance-Exchange Ideas In Public
Iowa should debate a key health-reform program in public so the program doesn't get twisted in favor of the insurance industry, consumer-group advocates said today. Legislators last year failed to reach agreement on how to set up a state health-insurance exchange. ... Gov. Terry Branstad, who opposes the overall health-reform program, has said he would prefer a state version of the exchange instead of a federal version (Leys, 1/24).

Denver Post: 'Amycare,' Meet 'Marsha's Mandate'
There's open warfare between House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument, and Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, who're both running for the House District 19 seat. ... First, Looper co-sponsored a bill this year to repeal a law setting up Colorado's health care benefits exchange, a bill Stephens co-sponsored in 2011 and which many Republicans opposed. Tea Party activists have savaged the health benefits exchange law, which implements a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (better known as 'Obamacare' to critics) as 'Amycare' (Hoover, 1/24).

Modern Healthcare: N.J. Hospital Forms ACO, Teams With Atlantic
Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, N.J., has formed an accountable care organization. The 446-bed hospital said its ACO jointly applied with Atlantic Health, Morristown, N.J., to become a Medicare ACO starting in April. Applications for the Medicare program, which offers financial incentives for healthcare quality and cost control, were due last week (Evans, 1/24).