States and insurers are already working to bail out President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul, anticipating the system's online insurance exchanges may not be ready by a critical December deadline. All of the alternatives have drawbacks. Insurance companies are hoping to bypass the troubled exchanges and directly enroll customers. While that strategy would ease access, it also might prevent consumers from shopping for the best deal, a cornerstone of Obamacare. States may extend special coverage for the chronically ill who are otherwise shut out of the market. That's if they can find the money.
