Develop HIX Now, MD Official Urges States

States that sit on the sidelines waiting for the results of the November election before they commit to healthcare reform and health insurance exchanges will face a "herculean effort" to establish their exchanges and implement reform says Anthony Brown, the Maryland lieutenant governor. "We've been at it for 18 months in Maryland."

Brown pointed to consensus building with legislators about the role of healthcare reform and health insurance exchanges. "We worked with them over three separate annual legislative sessions. Legislators weren't under the gun. They had time to carefully consider and revisit issues."

Brown says Maryland has used the time to successfully compete for federal dollars available to fund the exchanges and other components of healthcare reform. No matter what political or legal outcomes are presented, Brown said, "we are committed to implementing as much of the Affordable Care Act as we can."

The lieutenant governor spoke during a daylong briefing on the Affordable Care Act hosted by Health Affairs.