California Awarded $674 Million Grant To Build Health Exchange

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California has been awarded a $674 million federal grant to continue developing and building an online insurance marketplace under the federal health care reform law.

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, announced Thursday that the state is receiving "substantial" support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Starting later this year, Covered California will launch a website where individuals and small businesses will be able to compare and enroll in health plans. Some will be eligible for federal subsidies and credits to make coverage affordable.

Coverage will begin in 2014.

Lee says the latest federal grant will enable California to create a website that can help people make direct comparison of health insurance plans, launch a multi-cultural and multi-language marketing campaign, and staff a telephone help line.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.)