PPACA includes provisions that are designed to make health insurance more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans. These include provisions for establishing health insurance exchanges in each state, and enhancing processes for the annual review of health insurance premiums. To facilitate these activities, PPACA created new responsibilities for states and the federal government, and provided financial resources to states in the form of federal grant funding. PPACA mandated the establishment of exchanges--new health insurance marketplaces in each state through which qualified individuals and small businesses can compare, select, and purchase standardized health coverage from among participating issuers of health coverage. These exchanges must begin enrolling consumers by October 1, 2013, into coverage that begins January 1, 2014. Core exchange functions include determining eligibility and enrolling individuals, plan management (certifying qualified health plans), consumer assistance and outreach, and developing the necessary information technology (IT) infrastructure to support the exchange. These exchanges may be established and operated by a state itself as a "state-based exchange." Such states must also establish a governing board and standards of conduct. Where a state is unable or unwilling to establish and operate an exchange, PPACA directs HHS to establish an exchange--referred to by HHS as a "federally facilitated exchange." States in which a federally facilitated exchange will operate may also enter into arrangements with HHS to assist it with certain of the exchange's plan management or consumer assistance functions. HHS refers to such exchanges as "partnership exchanges." As of March 2013, HHS indicates that 18 states will establish their own state- based exchanges and 33 will have a federally facilitated exchange, of which 7 states are planning to have a partnership exchange. To assist states in developing exchanges, PPACA authorized HHS to award grants to states for the planning and establishment of insurance exchanges. PPACA did not provide a specific amount of exchange grant funding, but rather, appropriated to HHS, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount necessary to make grant awards. In doing so, it directed HHS to determine the total amount of funding that it will make available to each state for each fiscal year. PPACA authorized HHS to award grants to states through December 2014, and, on the basis of this authority, HHS established four separate programs for awarding exchange grants to states: Planning Grants: Provided states with resources to conduct the initial research and planning needed to build an exchange and determine how it will be operated and governed. Once awarded, the grant funds were available for 1 year, and a state could only receive one grant. Early Innovator Grants: Provided funding to a state or group of states that were early leaders in building their exchanges to design and implement the IT infrastructure needed to operate the exchanges. All exchange IT components, including software and data models, developed with these grants could be adopted and modified by other states to fit their specific needs. Once awarded, the grant funds were available for 2 years, and a state or group of states could only receive one grant. Establishment Grants (Level 1): Provide funding to states pursuing any exchange model. Funding is designed to help states undertake additional exchange establishment activities, such as making legislative/regulatory changes, establishing IT systems, and consulting with key stakeholders. Once awarded, the grant funds are available for 1 year, and a state may apply for multiple grants. Establishment Grants (Level 2): Provide funding to states that have legal authority to implement an exchange and are further along in exchange development and pursuing a state-based exchange. Funding is designed to help states develop all exchange activities, including consumer and stakeholder engagement and support, eligibility and enrollment, plan management, and technology. Once awarded, the grant funds are available for up to 3 years, and a state can only receive one grant. Health insurance premium rates are generally established on the basis of actuarial estimates of the cost of providing coverage over a period to enrollees in a private health insurance plan. Insurance issuers generally submit these rates to states as a formula that describes how to calculate a premium for each person or family covered on the basis of factors such as age, gender, and geographic location. Individual states are primarily responsible for ensuring that the rates within their state are reasonable-- that is, adequate, not excessive, reasonable in relation to benefits provided, and not unfairly discriminatory--and they do so by establishing standards and defining state insurance departments' authority to help enforce them. Most states require carriers to submit rate filings to state insurance departments for review prior to implementation of new rates or rate changes, although the authority of the departments to approve or disapprove the filings can vary by state. Some state insurance departments have the authority to approve or disapprove rate filings before they go into effect, while others do not have any authority to approve or disapprove rate filings. Oversight of premium rates charged by insurance issuers historically has been primarily a state responsibility; however, PPACA established a role for HHS by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with states to establish a process for the annual review of unreasonable premium increases in the individual and small group insurance markets. HHS has since issued regulations that established a threshold for determining whether rate increases proposed by insurance issuers require review, and requiring insurance issuers to report information to HHS on proposed rate increases. The regulations also establish criteria and a process by which HHS will determine whether a state has an effective rate review program and thus meets HHS's standards for conducting the rate reviews. Under the regulations, an effective rate review program must, among other things, utilize sufficient data and documentation concerning rate increases to conduct an examination of the reasonableness of the proposed increases, and make a determination of the reasonableness of the rate increase under a standard set forth in state statute or regulation. If HHS determines that a state does not have an effective rate review program, then HHS will conduct the rate reviews. As of April 2013, HHS has determined that all but nine states have an effective rate review program for both the individual and small group insurance market. To assist states in reviewing premium rates, PPACA also established a 5-year premium rate review grant program beginning in 2010. PPACA appropriated $250 million for HHS to award grants to states from fiscal years 2010 through 2014. On the basis of this authority, HHS established two separate rate review grant programs: Cycle I: Provided states with assistance to enhance their rate review processes--for example, by ensuring that increases in health insurance premiums and rate filings are thoroughly evaluated and, to the extent permitted by law, approved or disapproved through a comprehensive rate review process. Once awarded, grant funds were available for 1 year, and a state could only receive one grant. Cycle II: Further assists states in improving and enhancing their rate review and reporting processes, and for meeting requirements of an effective rate review program. Once awarded, grant funds are available for up to 3 years depending on the date they are awarded, and a state may be able to receive more than one grant. (See app. I for further details on these grant types as well as the four types of establishment grants.) Federal competitive grants generally follow a life cycle that includes four stages and several activities within each stage, as seen in figure 1. The grant process begins with the preaward stage, when the public is notified of the grant opportunity through a funding announcement, and potential grantees must submit applications for agency review. In the award stage, the agency identifies successful applicants and awards funding. The implementation stage includes grantees drawing down funds, agency monitoring, and grantee reporting, which may include financial and performance information. The closeout stage includes preparation of final reports, financial reconciliation, and any required accounting for property. Audits may occur multiple times during the life cycle of the grant and after closeout. In CCIIO, officials, known as state or project officers, are assigned to specific grants, and are responsible for managing and overseeing the life cycle of grants. This includes reviewing grant applications and evaluating whether the projects funded by the grants are on schedule and meeting goals. For exchange grants, 17 CCIIO employees work as state officers, and for rate review grants, 2 CCIIO employees work as project officers. These state or project officers also work with grants management officials from CMS's Office of Acquisition and Grants Management (OAGM) to oversee the financial and regulatory aspects of the grants. HHS's process to award PPACA exchange and rate review grants to states involves soliciting, screening, and evaluating applications and making official grant awards. The steps include the announcement of grant opportunities; states' preparation and submission of applications; application eligibility determinations; objective reviewers' evaluation of applications; HHS officials' evaluation of applications and corresponding follow-up, or budget negotiations, with states; final grant recommendations to HHS leadership; and final award decisions and issuance of official awards. CCIIO project officers, in collaboration with other HHS officials, review statutory requirements as well as federal regulations to develop an FOA to solicit applications for each exchange and rate review grant type. The FOA contains key items a state needs to review and understand prior to submitting an application. These include the program eligibility criteria, the amount of funding available for award, the types of activities that may be funded under the grants, the instructions for completing applications, and the process and criteria for evaluating applications. Once completed, the FOA is posted on the HHS website and Grants.gov, a website run by the federal government through which states and other entities can find and apply for federal grants. After posting the FOA, CCIIO project officers may conduct a conference call to provide guidance to interested states on items such as the grant review criteria, instructions on preparing project budget proposals, and other application procedures. Information on this call is provided in the FOA, and a transcript and recording of the call may be posted afterward on the HHS website. States must prepare and submit application materials to HHS through Grants.gov, as outlined in the FOA. The application must include the amount of federal grant funding being requested, as well as other materials including various federal forms; letters of support from the governor or other applicable state entities, or both; a project narrative; a work plan that contains milestones and time frames; a proposed budget that provides line-item costs for various categories of activities to be performed using grant funding; and an organizational chart of key state personnel. Upon receiving applications, CCIIO project officers and OAGM officials conduct an initial eligibility check for all grant applications by screening them on the basis of specific eligibility criteria described in the FOA and ensuring that they contain all required documents as described above. The eligibility criteria vary depending on the type of exchange or rate review grant being awarded. Table 1 below outlines the key eligibility criteria for each type of exchange and rate review grant. As the table shows, the eligibility criteria for Level 2 exchange Establishment grants and Cycle II rate review grants require greater commitments from states as compared to the criteria for other grants--for example, to receive Level 2 Establishment grants, states must commit to establishing a state- based exchange and complete specified steps associated with doing so, such as obtaining the necessary legal authority to establish and operate the exchange. To receive Cycle II grants, states must commit to developing effective rate review programs that meet HHS requirements. Once applications are deemed eligible, a panel of independent subject- matter experts meets to discuss the applications' strengths and weaknesses and evaluate whether they meet grant program requirements. These reviewers are recruited by CCIIO project officers, who ensure that the reviewers are unaffiliated with the exchange and rate review programs but have experience in a wide range of relevant fields and together possess the subject-matter expertise needed to review the applications. For example, according to CCIIO officials, panels for exchange grant application cycles always contain reviewers with IT-related expertise, due to the significant role IT plays in exchange establishment. CCIIO project officers assign three reviewers to each application, but the total number of reviewers within a panel depends on the number of submitted applications and may therefore vary between application cycles. Once reviewers are selected, project officers provide them with instructions on the process and guidance on the relevant FOA and statute. In addition, OAGM officials indicated that they advise the reviewers on the proper procedures to follow in conducting their review. To then evaluate applications, the objective reviewers use various methods depending on grant type: For most exchange grants, reviewers rely on a scoring system outlined in the applicable FOA to assess the strengths and weaknesses of various sections of an application. These application sections are attached to specified review criteria and point ranges, with a maximum total score of 100 points. For example, the project narrative portion of a state's Establishment grant application can be awarded up to 55 points, depending on factors such as the extent to which the state clearly describes how its progress toward exchange establishment to date has informed its current grant proposal (see table 2 below). The reviewers document their proposed total score for each assigned application as well as their assessments of the applications' strengths and weaknesses. For rate review grants, reviewers do not utilize a scoring system. Rather, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of applications and determine whether they meet requirements, objective reviewers use a CCIIO-provided checklist that lists the requirements of the grant program. The reviewers discuss the applications and make recommendations as to whether the applications are strong enough to be funded or contain weaknesses that must be addressed prior to awarding the grant. CCIIO project officers and OAGM officials sit on the panel meetings but do not participate; rather, their role is to document decisions made during the meetings. For example, where applicable, the officials prepare a rank-order list, or a list of applicants ranked by objective review score. The officials also prepare summaries of each application's strengths and weaknesses as discussed during the review panel (including objective review scores, where applicable), as well as summaries of recommendations stemming from the reviewers' analysis of rate review grant applications. These summaries serve as official documentation of the objective review process. Questions or concerns flagged during this review, as well as those identified during the objective review, can also help inform HHS officials' future oversight of states' use of grant funds. increase of about $9.7 million. Budget negotiations on rate review grant applications submitted by August 2012 have resulted in a net increase of about $8.8 million, with changes ranging from an increase of about $3,000 to an increase of about $2.5 million. After budget review and negotiations for exchange and rate review grant applications have concluded, project officers conduct a final analysis of the results of previous reviews and prepare funding recommendation memos for HHS leadership. These memos contain summaries of the awarding process thus far, including the number of submitted applications as well as the original budget request, revised budget request (where applicable), and the final recommended award amount for each applicant. For example, the August 2011 funding memo describing decisions on exchange Establishment grant applications due in June 2011 indicated that 14 states applied for Level 1 grants. All applications were deemed eligible and thus were recommended to receive awards, with recommended funding amounts ranging from about $4.2 million to about $39.4 million (due to differences in the states' proposed activities and budgets). The funding memos may also include scores from the objective review, where applicable, as well as high-level results from any budget negotiations conducted with states. In addition, according to HHS officials, before final awards are issued, CCIIO project officers typically recommend special terms and conditions that grantees must meet prior to receiving their full funding amount.These recommended terms and conditions are also included in the funding memo. For example, funding for contractors performing IT-related activities is initially restricted from all exchange Establishment grants until certain conditions, such as providing an itemized budget and justification for each contract, are met and sufficiently documented. In addition, Establishment grant applicants submitting applications that receive scores less than 70 during the objective review may have their entire funding amount restricted until the applicants meet certain requirements as specified by HHS, such as providing an updated work plan or budget proposal that more sufficiently meets requirements outlined in the FOA. For instance, the August 2011 Establishment grant funding memo indicated that 3 out of the 14 states' applications received scores of less than 70, and that 2 of these states were able to address most of their application weaknesses during budget negotiations. The remaining state was recommended to have its entire funding amount restricted pending submission of updated application materials within 60 days of receiving the award notice. HHS leadership reviews the funding memo and provides the final sign-off on decisions regarding exchange and rate review grant applications, but according to CCIIO officials generally does not deviate from recommendations in the memo. The agency issues an official notice of grant award to each applicant, outlining the funding amount, project period, budget period, applicable terms and conditions, and administrative requirements such as financial and progress reports that grantees must submit on a regular basis throughout the course of their grant. As of March 27, 2013, HHS had awarded nearly $3.7 billion in exchange grants to states, much of which will be used to fund activities related to developing IT systems for states' exchanges. HHS also awarded about $159 million in rate review grants to states, which to date has been used for five key activities related to enhancing states' rate review processes, including enhancing the transparency of issuers' rate review filings. Between September 2010, when exchange grants were first awarded, and March 27, 2013, HHS awarded 132 exchange grants totaling nearly These awards included Exchange Planning, $3.7 billion to 50 states.Early Innovator, and Level 1 and 2 Establishment grants. To date, the majority of funding (about $3.4 billion, or 92 percent) has been awarded in the form of Level 1 and Level 2 Establishment grants, while Exchange Planning grants make up approximately 1 percent of total exchange grant funding (see table 3). HHS oversees states' use of grant funds by reviewing and analyzing state-reported information and conducting some limited verification of state data. HHS has several mechanisms to address identified concerns or noncompliance identified through routine monitoring and to respond to requests to amend grants' terms. CCIIO's regular oversight process for exchange and rate review grants consists of a variety of mechanisms through which project officers regularly review information reported by grantees as well as communicate with grantees. Additionally, this oversight is supplemented by independent verification through internal analysis and periodic reviews. CCIIO's regular oversight mechanisms are listed below in table 5. As a condition of receiving an exchange or rate review grant, CCIIO requires grantees to prepare and submit regular progress reports covering programmatic activities, progress in meeting program goals, and details about expenditures. CCIIO requires exchange program grantees to provide progress reports describing the current status of their activities in areas such as making legislative/regulatory changes, establishing IT systems, building organizational infrastructure and staffing resources, establishing an operational budget and management plan, and consulting with key stakeholders. Originally, states were required to submit these reports quarterly, but officials indicated that they changed the reporting to semiannually to reduce the burden on states, since states were providing information and communicating with project officers frequently. As part of this progress report, CCIIO requires exchange program grantees to provide information on the amount of grant funds spent over the life of the grant across key budget categories. These categories include state personnel, travel, contractors and consultants. CCIIO also requires grantees to identify the individual contracts they have awarded with grant funds. As with exchange grants, CCIIO requires rate review grantees to provide quarterly progress reports, which include data on their rate review activities, the grantees' original goals, deviations or changes to original goals, accomplishments to date, significant activities undertaken and planned, and any relevant issues or setbacks that occurred over the prior 12 months. These reports also include expenditure information similar to that reported by exchange grantees. Further, CCIIO requires that, each quarter, both exchange and rate review grantees provide financial reports that detail financial activities, including the amount of cash transactions grantees made with grant funds during the quarter. In addition to requiring regular reports, CCIIO project officers have regular phone communication with grantees to discuss grantee reports and activities, clarify guidance, and provide technical assistance to grantees with challenges they encounter, and, according to officials, thereby maintain an awareness of grantees' ongoing activities. According to the standard operating procedures for both programs, project officers call each grantee at least quarterly. According to CCIIO officials, these contacts are in practice much more frequent than the minimum for many grantees under both programs. For example, according to CCIIO officials, project officers generally communicate at least twice per week with exchange grant recipients. As part of their ongoing monitoring, CCIIO officials regularly review and summarize the programmatic and financial information obtained from grantees' progress reports and monitoring calls. For exchange grants, CCIIO officials indicated that each week, project officers submit internal project office summaries about the status of the states' exchange implementation efforts. Additionally, each month, project officers also develop detailed narratives for exchange grants, which include information on how much grant funding the state has spent, the states' progress, barriers they may face, and any action items to be taken over the next 30 days. For rate review grants, project officers also prepare weekly summaries of grantee activities, and quarterly they summarize each state's progress in an Excel tracking sheet. This analysis includes information on how much the grantee has spent, grantee accomplishments, and issues requiring follow-up. Finally, on a quarterly basis program staff provide briefings to CCIIO leadership, and issues regarding grantees' progress are discussed. According to CCIIO officials, project officers routinely oversee and assess exchange and rate review grantees' financial activities by monitoring the amount and pace of the states' drawdown of grants. Each week, OAGM staff provides project officers with reports from OAGM's financial system on the amount of funding each grantee has withdrawn from the grant account, according to officials. Project officers use the reports to look for unusual events such as large drawdowns or no drawdowns. Withdrawals are reported at the overall grant level, not by specific expenditures or general categories of expenditures. According to CCIIO officials, if review of these reports highlights potential issues, they will follow up with grantees and determine whether further action is warranted. In addition to analysis of grantee drawdowns, CCIIO has other mechanisms that can provide independent assessments of grantees' use of funds. CCIIO officials also indicated that they conduct site visits--on- site assessments of exchange and rate review grantees' activities--and that this provides a measure of independent verification of grantee activities. CCIIO officials indicated that exchange grant site visits are in their early stages and have been utilized to provide technical assistance to help grantees establish their exchanges. For example, CCIIO officials indicated that as of April 11, 2013, they have conducted 26 technical assistance site visits at exchange grantees. CCIIO's draft procedures for conducting site visits indicate that they will ultimately conduct a site visit to each state at least once prior to certification of a state's exchange. The procedures indicate that the visit should be conducted by a team consisting of a project officer and key CCIIO and CMS staff, and the site visit team will review operational aspects of the proposed exchange including its enrollment process and financial management. Within 4 weeks of completing the site visit, the project officer should prepare a written report that will include a summary of the site visit, and recommendations to the state, if applicable. For rate review grantees, CCIIO's procedures do not address the frequency of site visits, but indicate site visits are used to further engage grantees, monitor programmatic progress toward established milestones, track fiscal performance, ensure compliance with programmatic and statutory requirements, and mitigate programmatic risks. The procedures indicate that selecting grantees for site visits will be determined by a number of factors including the stage of programmatic implementation and complexity of the grantee's rate review proposal, and the need for more hands-on auditing or budget review, or both. CCIIO officials indicated that as of April 11, 2013, CCIIO has conducted two site visits to rate review grantees. CCIIO requires each state receiving exchange grants to undergo three Establishment Reviews over the course of its grant period. CCIIO uses these reviews to assess states' activities and provide systematic feedback on their progress towards development of an exchange. The reviews are conducted at certain readiness benchmarks, rather than specific times. Planning. The first review is the planning review generally in the first quarter after the grant is awarded. The state must demonstrate preliminary progress towards establishing an exchange, and receives feedback. The review results in a list of tasks for the state to complete before the design review. Design. The second review is the design review, which occurs after states have selected their key contractors for exchange establishment, typically about 6 to 9 months after the planning review. States are expected to have established business requirements and developed detailed plans and procedures for key activities for their exchange. Operational. The final operational review occurs after exchange development and implementation is complete, to test the exchange and demonstrate that it is ready to begin operation. After each of these reviews, CCIIO's procedures require project officers to prepare a postestablishment report describing deliverables by both CCIIO and the grantee. These reports are designed to provide a summary of the progress the state has made in meeting the necessary requirements related to establishing an exchange. The report also serves as a guide in identifying action items and next steps to ensure adherence to mandatory timelines. According to CCIIO officials, in calendar year 2012 they completed planning reviews for 24 grantees and design reviews for 28 grantees, covering 31 of the 38 states with Level 1 Exchange Establishment grants. As of March 2013, they had not completed any operational reviews, but planned to complete them between August and September 2013. Finally, all recipients of these grants are required to obtain an A-133 Audit. According to CCIIO guidance, CCIIO reviews the audit for each grantee. According to CCIIO officials, they plan to use the A-133 Audit results as part of their Operational Establishment Reviews for exchange grants and as part of future Annual reviews for rate review grants. The guidance also calls for grantees to address any significant findings from the audit and to develop plans for mitigating future problems. CCIIO officials indicated that if CCIIO's regular oversight process identifies instances when a grantee may not be complying with requirements of the grant, CCIIO uses a five-tier response to address them, in which CCIIO advances its response to the next tier if its earlier responses did not address the issue (see fig. 5). In the first tier, CCIIO officials indicated they discuss compliance issues with the exchange or rate review grantee and request a mitigation strategy, which CCIIO documents in the project records. The second tier calls for production of management assessment items by the state, such as a documented business plan to address the compliance issue in a specific time frame. In the third tier, CCIIO imposes conditions on the grant award, which identifies the reason for the condition and limits the grantee's access to funds, until the grantee provides requested documentation. In the fourth tier, CCIIO restricts the grantee's access to funds until it reviews and approves the grantee's corrective action. CCIIO's final action in the fifth tier is to terminate the grant. According to OAGM officials, to date they have not had to impose conditions or restrictions on grants based on their regular oversight. Further, OAGM officials said that so far they had not identified any misuse of grant funds on the basis of established program criteria. If a state seeks to make certain changes to the terms of its exchange or rate review grant, CCIIO requires that the state obtain prior approval, and has established procedures to review the appropriateness of any such requests. CCIIO refers to these as postaward actions, and they include instances such as when a state wants to alter substantially the allocation of funds between major activities funded by a grant (called a budget revision), or extend the time frames for performing grant activities without changing the award amount (called a no-cost extension). Eight types of routine, grantee-initiated postaward actions are described in table 6 below. For example, if a state wants to reallocate more than 25 percent of an exchange grant among budget categories, CCIIO requires the state to work with the appropriate project officer to obtain approval by OAGM. Under its procedures, CCIIO requires the state to provide supporting documentation to justify the proposed rebudgeting. The project officer will review the request and make a recommendation to the OAGM. If approved, OAGM will amend the grant agreement to reflect the revised budget. Officials indicated that the same general procedures apply to other types of postaward actions. Officials indicated that CCIIO also requires states in which the anticipated exchange type changes (e.g., from a state-based exchange to a federally facilitated exchange) to obtain approval for a change in the scope of services permitted under the state's original grant or to terminate the grant. As of April 11, 2013, CCIIO officials indicated they are working with 11 states to determine the appropriate adjustments for their grants to reflect changes in the scope of services they will provide. For example, CCIIO officials indicated that Arizona was originally awarded funding to establish a state-based exchange, but the state subsequently decided to default to a federally facilitated exchange. CCIIO and the state are currently determining the extent to which the state will continue to participate in the grant program. We provided a draft of this report to HHS for its review and comment. HHS provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate. As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the report date. At that time, we will send copies of this report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me at (202) 512-7114 or dickenj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key contributions to this report are listed in appendix V. Purpose Provided states with 1 year of funding to assist with background research and initial planning activities related to the potential implementation of a state-based exchange, including plans for stakeholder involvement, governance structure, technical infrastructure, and necessary policy actions related to the exchange. States could only receive one grant. Award amount $0-1 million; depends on states' proposed activities and budget (along with the Department of Health and Human Services' assessment of the proposal). Early Innovator Provided 2 years of funding to a select number of states or groups of states that demonstrated leadership in establishing state-based exchanges, in particular by beginning development of cutting-edge, cost-effective, consumer-friendly IT for their exchanges. Awards were intended to allow the states to develop rigorous IT models and best practices that could be adopted and tailored by other states. States could only receive one grant. Variable; depends on states' proposed activities and budget (along with HHS's assessment of the proposal). Provides up to 1 year of funding to support states' continued progress in carrying out activities in connection with a state-based or federally facilitated exchange, including a partnership exchange. Funding is awarded to help states undertake specific establishment activities relevant to a state's chosen exchange model. For example, states pursing state- based exchanges may receive funding for activities within 12 categories, including legal authority and governance, consumer and stakeholder engagement and support, and plan management. States preparing to support federally facilitated exchanges are eligible to use grant funding for a subset of these activities, as outlined in the funding opportunity announcement. States may receive multiple grants. Variable; depends on states' proposed activities and budget (along with HHS's assessment of the proposal). Provides up to 3 years of funding to states that are further in their exchange establishment process and are specifically establishing state-based exchanges. Funding is awarded to help states undertake all exchange activities. To be eligible, states must have met certain milestones, including (1) obtaining the necessary legal authority to establish and operate the exchange; (2) establishing a governance structure for the exchange; and (3) submitting (to HHS) an initial plan for funding the long-term operational costs of the exchange. States may only receive one grant. Variable; depends on states' proposed activities and budget (along with HHS's assessment of the proposal). Purpose Provided 1 year of funding to states or U.S. territories to help develop or enhance their rate review processes as well as their processes for reporting their rate increase patterns to HHS. States/territories could only receive one grant. Provides up to 3 years of funding (depending on the date of award) to further assist states or U.S. territories with developing or enhancing their rate review and reporting processes, with the specific purpose of helping states meet HHS's criteria for effective rate review programs. To be eligible, states that at the time of application do not have effective rate review programs in their individual or small group health insurance markets, or both, must commit to using grant funds to develop effective programs within 12 months of receiving the grant. States that at the time of application meet the effective rate review requirements must commit to using grant funds to further enhance their rate review programs. States are eligible for a second Cycle II grant if they have drawn down at least 60 percent of their previous Cycle II grant by August 1, 2013, and if HHS determines that sufficient funding is available after all eligible applications are considered for an initial Cycle II award. Additionally, California is eligible for two Cycle II grants because it has two regulatory agencies that are each primarily responsible for regulating a portion of the state's private health insurance market. Total award amounts are made up of the following subawards: Baseline award: $3 million (for grants awarded in 2011) or $2 million (for grants awarded after 2011). Workload award: variable; depends on states' population and the number of health insurance issuers with 5 percent or more market share in the state. Performance award: approximately $600,000 (for grants awarded in 2011) or $400,000 (for grants awarded after 2011); given to states that have the legal authority to disapprove unreasonable rate increases in their individual or small group markets. Amount of award returned to HHS as of March 27, 2013 (dollars) In addition to the contact named above, Randy DiRosa, Assistant Director; Priyanka Sethi Bansal; David Lichtenfeld; Laurie Pachter; and Stephen Ulrich made key contributions to this report.

Summary:
PPACA required the establishment of health insurance exchanges and a process for the annual review of unreasonable increases in insurance premiums charged by issuers of health coverage in each state. To assist states in establishing exchanges and in enhancing their ability to review issuers' premium rate increases, the law established new grant programs under which HHS is authorized to award grants to states through 2014. The law appropriated an unspecified amount of funds for exchange grants, and appropriated $250 million to HHS for rate review grants. GAO was asked to provide information on HHS's processes to award and oversee these grants. In this report, GAO describes (1) the process HHS uses to award exchange and rate review grants to states; (2) the amounts of grants and key activities states funded through the grants; and (3) HHS's process for overseeing states' use of the grants. GAO reviewed laws, regulations, and HHS's procedures that established the processes for awarding the grants. GAO obtained and analyzed data on all exchange and rate review grants awarded from August 2010 through March 2013. GAO also reviewed HHS's procedures for overseeing the grants, and interviewed officials responsible for grants oversight. HHS provided technical comments on a draft of this report, which GAO incorporated as appropriate. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a structured process for awarding Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange and rate review grants to states. These grants are designed to help states establish exchanges--new health insurance marketplaces through which individuals and small businesses can obtain insurance--and review issuers' proposed rate increases. The grant award process consists of a series of steps during which the agency solicits, screens, and evaluates grant applications, and then makes funding awards. Once HHS deems that applications meet program eligibility criteria, applications go through various reviews, including a review by independent experts and HHS officials. On the basis of these reviews, HHS determines whether states' proposed activities are allowable, and if so, whether the associated requests for grant funding are reasonable. Based on recommendations from the reviews, HHS determines whether to award grants to states, and if so, the amounts of any grants to be awarded. As of March 27, 2013, HHS had awarded about $3.8 billion in PPACA exchange and rate review grants that states have used or plan to use to develop exchanges and enhance rate review capabilities. This includes nearly $3.7 billion in exchange grants awarded to 49 states and the District of Columbia. Among states that have received exchange grants, the amount of funding provided to states ranges from $0.8 million (Wyoming) to about $911 million (California). Approximately half the states were awarded under $30 million in exchange grant funding, while 10 states were awarded over $100 million. As of February 2013, states had drawn down approximately $380 million of their exchange grant funds. GAO's review of a subset of exchange grantee financial reports indicated that nearly 80 percent of expenditures have been for contracts and consulting services, much of which states spent on key activities for developing exchange information technology systems. HHS also awarded about $159 million in rate review grants to 46 states and the District of Columbia, much of which has funded five key activities, including expanding the scope of rate review programs and enhancing the transparency of the rate review process. HHS's process for overseeing states' use of PPACA grant funds consists of several mechanisms. The agency regularly monitors states' grant activities though its review of program and financial information reported by states, as well as ongoing communication with grantees. HHS's process also includes mechanisms to periodically verify state-reported information, including its analysis of states' withdrawal of grant funds and site visits. To date, however, use of site visits has been limited. HHS has a number of mechanisms it can utilize, such as restricting a grantee's access to funds, if its monitoring identifies concerns or compliance issues, but agency officials indicated they have not identified any misuse of grant funds or compliance issues to date.