"No characteristic of an implementing organization is more essential to success than a close fit between the organization and the objectives of the policies it must implement" (Longest, 2010, p. 135). Once legislation is enacted, responsibility for policymaking shifts from the legislative branch to the executive branch. The implementing organization in the executive branch (e.g., the Department of Health and Human Services) must engage in two related sets of activities:

• Rulemaking – the establishment of formal rules (or regulations)
• Operations – the actual operation of public law (e.g., as of October 1, 2013, portions of the Affordable Care Act went into operation via healthcare.gov, the Health Insurance Marketplaces).

In this assignment, you will determine and discuss items about the organization responsible for implementing the Health Insurance Marketplaces.

1. Research the organizational structure of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Determine which agency is responsible for implementing the Health Insurance Marketplaces portion of the Affordable Care Act.
2. Write a 2-page paper in which you address the following items:
   1. Briefly describe the process you followed to arrive at the correct organization; specifically, provide a "trail" of URLs (or documents, etc.) that you used.
   2. What is the responsibility of the organization within HHS? What is the organization's mission?
   3. What role does the organization play in implementing the Health Insurance Marketplaces?
   4. Describe the organization's objectives related to the Health Insurance Marketplaces.
   5. Describe the managerial competencies necessary for people within the organization to successfully implement the provisions of the ACA for which they are responsible.
   6. Describe why this organization is a good fit for the implementation of the ACA.
3. Prepare your assignment for submission:
   1. Follow all applicable APA Guidelines (Links to an external site.) regarding in-text citations, list of cited references, and document formatting for this paper. Failure to properly cite and reference sources constitutes plagiarism.
   2. The title page and reference list are not included in the page count for this paper.
   3. Proofread your assignment carefully. Improper English grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, or spelling will result in significant point deductions.
   4. Submit your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.