Nixon: Missouri Will Not Implement Health Insurance Exchange By Federal Deadline
Governor Jay Nixon announced that Missouri would not establish a state-run health insurance exchange in time for the federal deadline under the Affordable Care Act. For opponents of a state exchange, that amounted to a limited victory: Missouri would not immediately devote state resources and administrative machinery to implementing that portion of the federal law.
The announcement did not eliminate the broader issue. Federal officials could operate an exchange for Missouri, and unresolved questions remained about authority, funding, implementation, and the long-term consequences of building state policy around a federal program whose rules could continue changing.
The episode reinforced the case for caution before Missouri assumed new responsibilities merely to meet Washington's timetable.
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