HHS Unveils Proposed HIX Rules

Federal health officials have released three proposed rules governing state-based insurance exchanges and premium tax credits, and Medicaid eligibility, for which an estimated 20 million people will be eligible.

Officials also announced awards of $185 million to 13 states and the District of Columbia to help them build these insurance marketplace options.

"Americans across the country know our health insurance system is broken, especially for families and those who buy insurance on their own," Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services said in a briefing Friday .

"Shopping for coverage has become a daunting task and too many Americans have been priced out or locked out of the system and families spend valuable hours pouring over the fine print to find a plan that will cover their needs."

More than half of the states in the country have launched efforts to create exchanges, and 49 have accepted $50 million in federal funds last year to begin that process, she said. The framework for health insurance exchanges was established in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and is scheduled to take effect in 2014.