In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law requiring individuals to purchase health insurance no later than Jan. 1, 2014  or face penalties. To assist in this process, Idaho is expected to develop some sort of health care exchange by January 2014. Through the exchange, individuals and small businesses will be able to compare health care insurance benefits and costs and make a choice. Federal support will be available for low-income people to buy health insurance. The exchange may be state-run, a federal program, or a federal-state partnership, depending on what Idaho state government officials decide by Nov. 16, 2012.
 
How will the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act affect businesses and the estimated 294,000 uninsured individuals in Idaho, and how will it work? In this forum, Bill Deal, director of the Idaho Department of Insurance, and Kevin Settles, owner of Bardenay Restaurants and Distilleries, will discuss those issues and take questions from the audience.

Bill Deal, a former eight-term legislator who's worked in the insurance industry for 40 years, has been director of the Idaho Department of Insurance since 2007. Kevin Settles owns the popular Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery operations in Boise, Eagle and Coeur d’Alene. In 2011, Settles was named Idaho Restaurateur of the year by the Idaho Restaurant and Lodging Association.  He is a member of the Governor’s Working Group on a health insurance exchange.