Idaho to Rely on Federal Insurance Exchange at First

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho will be relying on the federal health insurance exchange for at least a year while it develops its own. Idaho was late to endorse the idea of its own insurance exchange, a key component to the 2010 federal health care law.

States that don't run their own, will have a federally run exchange. The exchanges are aimed at providing a way for people who don't currently have insurance to buy policies. But the Idaho Legislature's decision came too late to develop a state-specific exchange by the Oct. 1 deadline.

Idaho exchange spokesman Jody Olson says Idaho will rely on the federal government's exchange for 2014, with a few cosmetic touches for Idaho. The Spokesman-Review reports that the Idaho exchange hopes to have its own exchange in about a year.