When I first started working, I’d be reprimanded every time I said, “Should I Xerox this?”
“It’s ‘copy,’ not Xerox,” I’d always be corrected. Xerox wanted to protect its trademark, like Kleenex (it’s tissue, not Kleenex, but anyway). Xerox isn’t worrying about that now. Who knew the company would jump right into the middle of the healthcare revolution by helping health insurance carriers make it easier for the nearly 25 million new members that will be using these online portals to comparison shop for health plans within the next 10 years?
But it is. Xerox and HealthPlan Services (HPS), a services and technology provider for the insurance and managed care markets, will partner to help insurers quickly get enrolled in health insurance exchanges (HIXs) and simplify participation for new and existing members.
"The Affordable Care Act (ACA) presents an opportunity for members to make an informed decision regarding their healthcare, and for health plans to grow membership as never before," said Jeff Hechemy, group president, Xerox services healthcare payer and pharma. "Xerox and HPS have come up with a compliant, secure service that lets carriers act quickly while keeping the HIX process simple and attractive for members to use by 2014."
The ACA requires that each state set up its own HIX, with different rules and regulations. Using the combined Xerox and HPS service, carriers can comply with each set of rules and participate in any state exchange without having to build individual systems, according to sources.
HPS’s Go-To-Exchange, an integrated, end-to-end solution, will help insurers to meet the technical and administrative demands of participating in multiple state exchanges, while Xerox will help members navigate the online portal and will answer plan-related questions by providing customer care and communication services.
So far, only 13 states and the District of Columbia have told the Obama Administration they intend to set up the health insurance exchanges (HIX) that are meant to provide a marketplace for people to buy health plans.
Fifteen states are studying their options, while six states have decided not to create a state exchange. Another fifteen states have already established exchanges, while two states and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan plan for a partnership exchange (which provides oversight to HIXs). The remaining states have no significant plans underway.
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Edited by
Allison Boccamazzo
