Key Obamacare Regulation Stalled by Shutdown

The partial government shutdown is holding up a key federal regulation that sets the rules of the road for how health insurance policies are bought and sold on the Obamacare exchanges.

The proposed rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget Nov. 27 for review, a required step for all regulations. Lawmakers in the fall approved funding for the Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal 2019, but the OMB has been affected by the furlough, and regulations are being delayed.

The rule is already late when compared with other years, and the delay threatens ...