Tennessee is getting another $4 million to plan an insurance exchange as part of the politically uncertain federal healthcare overhaul. The grant is the fourth and so far biggest for planning Tennessee’s exchange, which would be a state-run marketplace online, like Expedia for people choosing insurance plans.
The healthcare requirement could be undone by a Supreme Court decision this summer, or by this fall’s election. If it stands, Governor Bill Haslam has said Tennessee ought to be ready to set up its own exchange. And that puts the state’s Brian Haile in planning mode.
“We’re doing that with federal money so that we’re not having to spend any state resources on this project. We’re also doing it as diligently as we can, by consulting with a number of stakeholders, including people in the insurance industry, so that we approach this really, really smartly.”
Detailing the state’s plan calls for help from consultants on insurance risks, as well as complex computer systems. The $4.3 million grant should cover those planning costs for several months, but the state is still a long way from actually setting up an exchange. Haile has estimated that could cost at least forty, and maybe more than a hundred million dollars.
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