GOP-Led Utah Takes 'Atypical' Path To State-Run HIX

The Obama administration’s announcement that it has given Utah a conditional okay to run its own state health insurance marketplace came as a surprise to many exchange watchers. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, had resisted making major changes to the state’s existing market, which was built before passage of the health care law and is geared to small business.

“Generally, I would prefer a state-based approach if I were to have the flexibility to stay true to Utah principles,” Herbert wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last month asking for approval. Acknowledging that Utah’s exchange was “atypical,” Herbert suggested it serve as “the minimum standard for all federally compliant exchanges.”