From 2014 through 2020, New Jersey used the federally run exchange, which means residents enrolled in exchange plans through HealthCare.gov. But New Jersey transitioned away from HealthCare.gov in the fall of 2020, and is now operating its own exchange platform, using the GetCoveredNJ website. From the fall of 2013 through the 2020 plan year, New Jersey used HealthCare.gov, like the majority of the rest of the states. But in March 2019, Governor Phil Murphy notified CMS that New Jersey planned to begin running its own health insurance exchange by the 2021 plan year (ie, operational by November 2020). But New Jersey also requested CMS approval to have the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance oversee the exchange starting in the fall of 2019, when people were purchasing coverage for 2020. That request was approved just a few weeks before the start of open enrollment for 2020 health plans, so New Jersey had a state-based exchange using the federal platform (HealthCare.gov) for the 2020 plan year. The state transitioned to a fully state-run exchange in the fall of 2020, utilizing their own enrollment platform (GetCoveredNJ) instead of HealthCare.gov. State-run exchanges that use the HealthCare.gov enrollment platform were charged a fee equal to 2.5% of premiums in 2020, down from 3% percent in 2019. So New Jersey paid that 2.5% fee in 2020. But even now that the state has its own exchange, they plan to continue to collect the same 3.5% fee that was collected by the federal government in 2019. But instead of sending it to the federal government, New Jersey will use the money — estimated at $50 million per year — to operate a state-run exchange. By running its own exchange, New Jersey has gained significantly more control. The state has the flexibility to extend open enrollment (which they used right out of the gates, doubling the length of open enrollment for 2021 coverage to three full months, and continuing that longer enrollment window for 2022 coverage), target the state’s enrollment and outreach efforts in the most useful fashion, design the enrollment website and customer service center, and have more regulatory control over the plans for sale in the market.