Health Exchange Bill Moves, Then Slows in N.Y Legislature: The New York Health Benefit Exchange Legislation has Just Passed the Assembly with a Vote of 95-43 and is Currently in the Senate Rules Committee

According to Senator Kemp Hannon (R--Nassau) and Chair of the Senate Health Committee and Senator James L. Seward (R-C-I--Oneonta) Chair of the Senate Insurance Committee, the bill was directed to the Senate Rules Committee due to several intensive discussions which could not be completed before the recess of the Legislative Session, which had been bogged down by intense conferencing and amendments for the Marriage Equality Act. Senator Hannon said, "At this point, I would rather negotiate and have a three-way, but if we have to leave Albany without anything, I would rather have a bare bones bill that passes and allows people to adopt it and all of the other policy decisions that they are seeking to hang on to this as if it is a Christmas tree. They can figure out how to do that later on."