New York state to start offering healthcare coverage in health insurance exchange

N.J. is set to begin offering healthcare insurance in an exchange it is creating for state residents, a move that has been delayed by federal courts.
A group of state officials and insurance companies that support the exchange, known as New York State Affordable Care Act, will meet Tuesday to draft the state’s next steps to take next year, the state Health Department said in a statement.
The state plans to open the exchange next month, the statement said.
The announcement comes as states continue to grapple with the implementation of the Affordable Care Exchanges.
The New York Affordable Care Plan was initially announced in December as part of the GOP’s tax-cut plan.
New York’s state and local governments are set to receive $3 billion from the federal government over five years to help them fund the new insurance marketplaces.
The federal government has yet to begin issuing the required amount of insurance coverage for its 30 million residents.
But the Affordable Health Care Act allows states to offer the new marketplaces with federal funds, while providing tax credits and subsidies to those who buy coverage on their own.
More than 30 states and the District of Columbia are creating their own exchanges for the first time in 2017.
In addition to New York, states that are part of exchanges in Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia are expected to begin operating by March or April.
The states have until March 1 to begin expanding coverage and administering the tax credits to residents.
New Jersey is one of five states with the highest percentage of residents without health insurance.
The state health department said it expects that state insurance markets to cover up to 26 million New Yorkers by mid-year.
But its own insurance exchange is not expected to be ready for residents until late 2021.