Covered California director to step down in February

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The director of Covered California says he will step down early next year.

Peter Lee has been the state's only executive director during the nine-year history of the state's health insurance marketplace. He helped launch the nation's largest state-based health marketplace in 2012.

Lee said Thursday that the recent deaths of his mother and uncle prompted him to think about what he wanted to do with the next phase of his life. Lee will stay on the job until February.

Covered California is a health insurance marketplace where some people can buy individual health plans from private insurers with government assistance.