Maryland settlement with health exchange operator still awaits approval

The $45 million settlement between Maryland and Noridian Healthcare Services regarding the state's debacle with its online health insurance exchange still must be approved by federal and state authorities before it goes into effect, the Baltimore Sun reports. Though Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and the board that oversees the state exchange approved the agreement Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the U.S. Attorney's Office and North Dakota insurance regulators, who oversee Noridian's parent company, still must sign off on the deal. The settlement comes after Maryland's online marketplace--which Noridian operated--crashed when it launched and suffered ongoing technical problems. Frosh is "optimistic" for a positive outcome regarding state and federal authorities' approval of the deal, a spokesman for the attorney general told the Sun. Article