12/21/11 – Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Achieves Two Milestones
by Patty FontneauExecutive Director and CEO, Colorado Health Benefit Exchange
The Colorado Health Benefit Exchange reached two milestones last week: I began serving as the new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, and the Legislative Implementation Review Committee, which unanimously approved hiring me on December 7, approved our grant application for the next phase of planning. Before the end of the year, we will submit a $17.9 million Level One Establishment Grant application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This application symbolizes the significant progress Colorado has made during the last year and provides the framework for the hard work that we face in 2012 and beyond.
Our goal is to create an exchange that will increase access, affordability and choice for individuals and small employers purchasing health insurance in Colorado. Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed SB 11-200, which establishes the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange as a new marketplace designed to meet the unique needs of Colorado citizens. The exchange is governed by a board of directors, which meets twice a month in open session, with additional direction from a panel of state legislators called the Legislative Implementation Review Committee. We are very fortunate to have an extremely dedicated group of board members and legislators guiding our work.
We also are benefitting from a large community of stakeholders – including consumer advocates, small business leaders, providers, brokers and insurers – who have actively participated in our planning activities. Our work over the last year has been funded by a planning grant from HHS. If approved, the Level One grant will provide resources to move to the next level of planning in 2012.
The Level One grant will fund, among other activities:
- Continued analysis of the Colorado market
- Continued outreach to stakeholders. So far in 2011, staff attended more than 50 events in seven areas of the state, educating more than 1,500 people about the exchange
- Continued adherence to the governing and legal framework set by Senate Bill 11-200
- Obtaining robust information technology systems – which constitute the largest costs of an exchange – that can perform multiple functions including communicating with other databases to determine eligibility for tax credits
- Establishing a process to provide individual and small employer support, including an appeals process for problems encountered while acquiring insurance, as well as difficulties which may arise regarding timely payment of claims
- Developing sophisticated business processes to ensure a high quality customer experience
- Supporting a small core staff of nine, augmented by consultants.
Looking ahead, 2012 will be a critical year for the development of our exchange. We will need continued input and participation from our stakeholder community to ensure that we create an exchange that will work best for Colorado. I encourage you to go to our new website, www.getcoveredco.org, to learn more about our activities and to get involved. I look forward to hearing from you.
TOP Comments (0)