HHS approves three more state-based exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued conditional approvals for the District of Columbia, Kentucky and New York to run their own health insurance exchanges.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also approved six states on Monday: Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon and Washington.

"I applaud these states’ commitment in achieving this milestone and moving forward to build a marketplace," Sebelius said Friday in a statement. 

"Each of these states has made significant progress, and in ten months will be ready for open enrollment where individuals will be able to purchase private health insurance plans."

The insurance exchanges are the centerpiece of President Obama's healthcare law and are intended to make buying coverage comparable to booking a flight or finding a compatible partner on Match.com.

Friday was the deadline for states to notify HHS of their decision to run an exchange, partner with the federal government or default to a federally run marketplace.

By The Hill's count, 22 states had chosen to default to a federal exchange by Friday morning.

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