White House gives nod to UT's dual exchange

Utah will be the only state in the country next year to run its own Small Business Health Options Program exchange — under a modified set of Obamacare rules — and let the federal government set up the exchange for the individual market. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert announced Friday that Utah had received a crucial nod from the White House that will allow the state to bend Obamacare's exchange rules to accommodate the state's small-business exchange. No other state has tried anything like what Utah is proposing — to split its exchange completely in two and let the feds run half. One set of rules, established by the state, will govern the small-business exchange, which was established before the federal health law.