Several state-based exchanges are showing signs of strain as the Jan. 1 start date for plan coverage nears.
In Oregon, Rocky King, the executive director of the troubled Cover Oregon, is taking a three-month medical leave.
Cover Oregon has enjoyed enthusiastic state support, but hasn’t been able to get its enrollment site running. Until a few days ago, it couldn’t even confirm it had succeeded at enrolling anyone at all.
Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, announced in mid-November that he was bringing in Greg Van Pelt, a former health system chief executive, to help fix the Cover Oregon program, and asking Dr. Bruce Goldberg, the director of the Oregon Health Authority, to oversee the application and enrollment processes.
The Cover Oregon board said Goldberg will run the exchange as director while the board looks for an interim executive director.