Willimantic Chronicle - Health Exchange Program Explained at Windham Event

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By Louisa Owen Sonstroem

With less than 100 days until the start of Connecticut's new quasi- public health insurance exchange program, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and others visited Windham Monday to talk health care. Speaking at Windham Middle School, Courtney -- with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Access Health CT exchange program Chief Executive Officer Kevin Counihan -- explained to more than 60 local people what the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) will mean for them.

"This is a program and a law which we are monitoring closely," Courtney said. "We want to get every bit of data we can about what's happening in our own communities." Three of the ACA's primary goals are to achieve increased access to care, improved health and reduced costs, Wyman said. "We are (developing) a plan that we hope will balance all of that," she said. Here in Connecticut, Counihan said, 9.6 percent of residents are uninsured and, although some might wish that number were zero it is still far lower than such states as California, where the uninsured rate is 20 percent, or Florida, where it is 19 percent.

Counihan and his associates hope the new Access Health CT exchange, an online-based consumer- friendly insurance plan marketplace, will boost the rates of insured while offering access to subsidies for individuals and tax credits for small businesses. This marketplace, which is a key component of Connecticut's efforts to implement the ACA, will be accessed mainly through a web site once the exchange opens for enrollment Oct. 1. The plans purchased through the exchange will officially begin Jan. 1, 2014.

A prospective insurance enroll­ee will be able to go to the web site, enter some basic informa­tion such as name, date of birth, adjusted gross income, family size and ZIP Code, and be pre­sented with a clear list of insur­ance plans organized by company, benefits and price. By organizing all options into one standardized system, Counihan said, consumers will be able to draw clear comparisons. "All the research shows that consumers find buying health insurance to be incredibly com­plicated," he said, but in this exchange, "you know you're com­paring apples to apples."

There will also be a call center to field questions or assist those without Internet access. Insurance brokers and naviga­tors are also being trained to assist in the process and six "stores" will open around the state, helping people to explore their options in much the same way the tech com­pany Apple enables consumers to interact with their products. Per the ACA, rates will be based on insurance company and ben­efits, not on income. Those with lower incomes will be assisted instead through sub­sidies. Counihan warned that, as with many new programs, glitches would likely occur the first few years.

"This is going to take three to five years to stabilize," he said. "It's not going to be simple. It's going to get rocky." However, he said, the benefits will outweigh the temporary costs. "I believe we're going to look back three or four years from now, and I really believe we're going to be one of the shining lights of health reform in our state," Counihan said.

For more information about the Access Health CT exchange pro­gram, which will begin enrollment Oct. 1, visit www.accesshealthct. com.

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