New York  state announced it has received a $185.8 million federal grant for its Health Benefit Exchange.
New York was one of five states to receive the Level Two Establishment grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will help develop a marketplace to allow people to obtain health insurance.
The grant will provide funding for New York state to build a new technology system, establish a customer service center, cover staffing resources, implement accounting and monitoring systems, and create and launch a marketing and educational outreach campaign.
Open enrollment in the exchange will begin in October with coverage starting January 2014. The open enrollment period will run for six months.
The state expects one million New Yorkers to enroll in and obtain insurance through the exchange.