LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas health officials are continuing to discuss how to set up an insurance exchange required under the health overhaul despite Gov. Mike Beebe's decision to not seek federal money for the program.
State Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford, Surgeon General Joe Thompson and other health officials held a summit on the health care exchange on Tuesday in Little Rock.
The exchange would be an online marketplace for individuals and small businesses to shop for health insurance. The federal law requires states to either set up an exchange or face the prospect of one established for them by the federal government.
Beebe last month decided against applying for a $3.8 million planning grant for the exchange after Republican lawmakers said they opposed seeking the money. The state could apply again in December.
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