Obamacare Creates Headaches for State Regulators

Conflicting rules and looming deadlines make for much fun

Florida insurance regulators are grappling with how to carry out the federal Affordable Care Act, as they face conflicting legal requirements and what one described as a "torrential rain" of filings by health insurers.

Regulators told a House select committee Friday that they need legislative direction about how to deal with a complex mix of issues, including differences between the federal health law—better known as Obamacare—and state requirements related to insurance rates.

They also face a time crunch, as insurers this spring are slated to start filing for approvals needed to comply with the federal law. That has fueled questions about whether the state Office of Insurance Regulation has enough staff to review the filings.