The District’s Health Benefit Exchange is an online marketplace for District residents and small businesses to enroll in private or public health insurance options. Enrollment in the District’s Health Benefit Exchange will begin October 2013 with coverage starting January 1, 2014. The District’s Health Benefit Exchange will allow individuals and small businesses to compare health plans, to learn  if they are eligible for tax credits for private insurance or health programs like DC Healthy Families/Medicaid, and to enroll in a health plan that meets their needs.

The District’s Health Benefit Exchange is being implemented as part of comprehensive health insurance reforms enacted by the federal government in 2010. The federal health insurance reform requires each state to operate a health insurance exchange for individuals and small business to shop for and compare health insurance options.