The Colorado Health Benefits Exchange (COHBE) board will hold its next meeting this Thursday, August 11th from 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM in the Legislative Services Building (200 E. 14th Ave., across the street from the State Capitol). It has not been determined if the meeting will be broadcast on the web.

The by-laws committee of the Exchange Board had a conference call yesterday to discuss legal counsel and the process for developing the by-laws. Committee members Steve Erkenbrack, Ken Lund, and Richard Betts will make recommendations to the Board during its meeting Thursday. The Board is also expected to appoint a Chair.

The workgroups continue to meet. To follow their work or to join a group, check out the Colorado Health Institute’s website, or contact Alicia at CRHC for more details.

The Colorado Center on Law and Policy, John Snow, Inc. and CoPIRG are holding focus groups around the state with likely Exchange users to test their perceptions and expectations for the marketplace. CRHC will post the information learned from those meetings when the report is available.

Joel Ario, the Director of the Office of Insurance Exchanges at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resigned. Ario’s deputy Tim Hill and Steve Larsen, Director for the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, will lead the Exchange after Ario’s departure Sept. 23rd.

Peter Marcus of The Colorado Statesman, a weekly nonpartisan political paper, wrote a great article yesterday detailing the Board’s process to date and some of the controversy surrounding its appointments and funding. Click here to read the article.