Insurance website to debut as planned

OLYMPIA – Washington state will debut its website to help people find medical insurance under Obamacare today even if the federal government is forced into a shutdown over health care reform, Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday.

Some state workers might be furloughed, some job training programs could be canceled, and some road projects might eventually be put on hold if the shutdown continues, Inslee said. But the new health care exchange, a way for uninsured people to shop for the best deal on medical insurance, will be up and running.

 “We will be open for business,” Inslee said. 

 As many as 1 million Washington residents are expected to get health care in the coming years through the exchange and the expansion of Medicaid. Increased federal money for the Medicaid expansion is also expected to help the state balance its budget.

State agencies are trying to determine how programs that get money from the federal government will be affected by a shutdown.

Jim Camden