Alaska Won’t Have State-Run Health Insurance Exchange

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has opted not to create a state-run health insurance exchange and will instead rely on the federal government to run the program. Parnell made the decision months ago and said he was standing by that as the Nov. 15 federal deadline for states’ choices looms.

“I think the federal government should pay for its own requirements, rather than the state,” Parnell said.

A health insurance exchange is an online website where consumers can shop a variety of health insurance options. Some states already have sites up an running while others are planning to work with the federal government to implement a hybrid exchange. But several states took Parnell’s stance, opting not to run their own exchange.

“They were only going to be funding a part of the health insurance exchange development and I just did not want to take us down the road of further entangling our finances with the Affordable Care Act if, indeed, the federal government would be financing it themselves,” Parnell said.

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