OpportunityTitle: Cooperative Agreements to Support Innovative Exchange Information Technology Systems
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: This FOA is open to all States as that term is defined in Section 1304(d) of the Affordable Care Act.  This includes the 50 States, consortia of States, and the District of Columbia.  Territories are not eligible for these Cooperative Agreements due to the statutory restrictions on Section 1311 funding.  As previously indicated, HHS will work with the territories to address their unique characteristics as we implement Section 1323 which gives each territory the option to receive funds to make coverage affordable through an Exchange starting in 2014.  Consortia of States are eligible to apply for these Cooperative Agreements provided the consortia submit a single application.  The Governor of each State (the Mayor, if from the District of Columbia) must designate a State entity as the grant applicant.  Only one application per State is permitted.  As a part of the Cooperative Agreement, consortia awardees will be required to designate one of their member States as having fiduciary responsibility for the Cooperative Agreement. A State cannot be awarded as both an individual Early Innovator and as a member of a consortium.     Each applicant must submit a letter from the Governor (or the Mayor, if from the District of Columbia) officially endorsing the grant application and the proposed Cooperative Agreement.  The letter must express a commitment to establish an Exchange.  If the applicant is part of a consortium, it must include letters of support from each participating Governor (and the Mayor, if from the District of Columbia) officially endorsing the grant application and the proposed Cooperative Agreement.     Each applicant also must submit a letter of support from the State Medicaid Director (if a consortia, a letter is required for each State Medicaid Director) agreeing not to duplicate efforts between the Exchange and the State Medicaid office, and to work with the Exchange on developing shared functionalities.    Any application that fails to satisfy the deadline requirements referenced in Section IV, Application and Submission Information will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this FOA.
Description: This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will provide competitive incentives for States to design and implement the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure needed to operate Health Insurance Exchanges ? new competitive insurance market places that will help Americans and small businesses purchase affordable private health insurance starting in 2014. This competitive ?Early Innovators? grant announcement will reward States that demonstrate leadership in developing cutting-edge and cost-effective consumer-based technologies and models for insurance eligibility and enrollment for Exchanges. These ?Early Innovator? States will develop Exchange IT models, building universally essential components that can be adopted and tailored by other States. The innovations produced from this Cooperative Agreement will be used to help keep costs down for taxpayers, States, and the Federal Government. The systems developed through these Cooperative Agreements will complement the health plan information on HealthCare.gov. Two-year grants will be awarded by February 15, 2011 to up to five States or coalitions of States that have ambitious yet achievable proposals that can yield IT models and best practices that will benefit all States. These States will lead the way in developing consumer-friendly, cost-effective IT systems that can be used and adopted by other States and help all States and the Federal government save money as they work to develop these new competitive market places.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Grants.gov Customer Support
GrantorContactText: Grants.gov Contact Center &lt;br/&gt;Phone Number: 1-800-518-4726 &lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time&lt;br/&gt;support@grants.gov&lt;br/&gt;
CloseDateExplanation: No Explanation