A Look at Different Marketplace Models: How Can They Help States Achieve Their Goals?

Now that the failure of legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have left the role of Marketplaces undiminished, and the wind-down of federal grants is putting pressure on Marketplace budgets, some states may reconsider their choices about whether to sponsor and assume responsibility for operating their Marketplaces. This brief is intended to serve as a resource for state decision-makers by describing the potential to achieve policy objectives associated with various ways to organize a Marketplace. It describes four models for sponsoring Marketplaces, seven policy objectives that states typically pursue, and assesses the suitability of each Marketplace model for pursuing these seven objectives. The brief is written for the benefit, and from the perspective, of state policymakers considering whether and, if so, how to participate in Marketplace sponsorship.