SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The federal government has approved California's plan to run its own health insurance market, a milestone in the state's effort to meet requirements of the national health care reform law.
California was among seven states that received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday to operate their own insurance exchanges.
California was the first state to authorize a health insurance exchange after passage of the federal Affordable Care Act in 2010. State officials say having control allows California to custom build a marketplace that caters to its needs.
The California Health Benefit Exchange board, which now goes by Covered California, submitted its operational plan last month to expand coverage by at least 2 million. The California HealthCare Foundation estimates the state has about 7.1 million people without health insurance.
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