Healthcare Technology Featured Article

April 23, 2013

Connecticut Partners with HealthPass to Set the Standard for State Health Exchanges


Even though the Department of Health and Human Services has decided to postpone the implementation of a small business healthcare exchange until 2015, Connecticut has decided to go ahead with its implementation on October 1 thanks to HealthPass.

Connecticut's insurance exchange, called Access Health CT, will implement its Small Business Health Options (SHOP) program well ahead of schedule to give small business employers multiple choices of health insurance programs to offer their employees.

Access Health CT's defined purchasing model means that even though employers can offer multiple health plans to employees, they can offer those programs for a fixed dollar contribution and will only receive a single bill.

HealthPass and its exchange technology partner, bswift, will build the front-end administrative platform for SHOP. Small businesses that purchase insurance through SHOP may be eligible for tax credits of up to 50 percent to offset their expenses.

"Our SHOP products offer broad carrier choice while allowing employers to budget and fix their costs for health insurance," explained Kevin Counihan, CEO of Access Health CT. "We are delighted to partner with HealthPass and bswift to enable businesses with 50 or fewer employees to offer these products and experienced administrative and customer service in Connecticut."

Access Health CT operates at no expense to Connecticut taxpayers. The exchange's mission is to increase the number of insured Connecticut residents, lower costs, eliminate health disparities and promote innovation and discussion.

Connecticut small businesses can enroll in SHOP through their insurance brokers. They can also use the Access Health CT website.

In addition, Access Health CT offers workshops around the state that can provide small business owners with more information and an opportunity to ask questions. One of these "Healthy Chat" workshops will take place tonight in Simsbury, Conn., at Eno Memorial Hall.




Edited by Rich Steeves
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