Bill > SB6089

This bill aims to ensure the sustainability and proper functioning of the health benefit exchange, which is a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can purchase health insurance plans. Key provisions include requiring the exchange to develop a plan to become self-sustaining after 2014, allowing various entities like city and county governments and tribal organizations to pay premiums on behalf of individuals, and enabling employees of the exchange to participate in state retirement and benefits programs. The bill also mandates that the exchange create detailed five-year and ten-year strategic plans outlining goals, enrollment targets, funding sources, and comprehensive reports on employee salaries, expenses, and staffing. Furthermore, it introduces new requirements for verifying eligibility during special enrollment periods, clarifies the "grace period" for individuals receiving advance premium tax credits, and outlines how health plan issuers must communicate with providers and enrollees about grace period status and potential coverage options, including Medicaid. The bill also requires the exchange to report data on grace period usage and outcomes to the legislature annually.