Maryland health exchange wins federal approval

Maryland received conditional approval Monday for its health benefit exchange, a key step toward having the insurance marketplace up and running by federal deadlines in 2014.

Maryland is among the first six states to receive approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Federal approval is a milestone for the exchange and state leaders, who have made a point of making Maryland a trailblazer in implementing this federal health reform measure.

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown called Monday’s…