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September 30, 2013 at 12:48 PM
If Congress lets the federal government “shut down” tomorrow, can the new public exchanges open on time?
State and federal officials say they believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) can open tomorrow, on schedule, and operate normally for a while even if the federal government has to function without “enacted annual budget appropriations.”
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is in charge of overseeing state efforts to set up state-based exchanges. It’s also in charge of federal efforts to run exchanges in states that are letting HHS handle the job.
According to an HHS 2014 contingency plan, CMS activities — including components of PPACA exchange implementation — would continue “largely without disruption.” HHS has put those activities in a category for “activities that involve the safety of human life and protection of property.”
HHS has given implementing PPACA a higher priority than the annual seasonal flu program, outbreak detection and senior nutrition programs.
