This paper describes the status of health insurance exchange development and design choices in the 10 states participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation health reform implementation monitoring and tracking project. We found state policy-makers, their staffs, stakeholders, and consumer advocates to be highly engaged in exchange policy discussions and development processes. By all accounts, each state was making concerted efforts to engage with a broad-swath of stakeholder and consumer interests and allowing all perspectives to be heard. However, many state policy environments remain politically contentious, and progress in exchange development has been slow for some as a result.