The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) announced Thursday (Sept. 30) that it was awarding nearly $49 million to help 48 States and the District of Columbia plan for the establishment of health insurance Exchanges, including almost $1 million to Wisconsin.

The grants will assist states in the planning needed to develop the new Exchanges that have to be put into place in each state by 2014. These health insurance Exchanges will be “new, competitive, consumer-centered private health insurance marketplaces,” according to the DHHS press release, and “will put greater control and greater choice in the hands of individuals and small businesses.”

• Design an Exchange that moves beyond an aggregator of health insurance options, to a mechanism that influences how health care is delivered in the state.
• Contract to develop a predictive model to measure the impact of the insurance market reforms on Wisconsin, coupled with other requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
• Maintain Exchange resource information on the Office of Health Care Reform web site to allow stakeholders to stay informed and provide input.
• Conduct surveys of the individual, small group, and large group markets, and model and analyze insurance reform impacts to assure clear understanding of Wisconsin’s current and future health insurance landscape.

The funding awarded Thursday is the first round of State Planning and Establishment Grants, which are one of several resources available to states to help with implementation of the Affordable Care Act.