Health insurance exchange opens

WINSTED — Federally mandated changes in how Connecticut handles its health care insurance system took effect on Tuesday, Oct. 1.The mandated health insurance changes are part of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010.According to the Department of Health and Human Services website at www.hhs.gov, the law has put into effect various protections to consumers and implements mandates to health care insurance companies, including prohibiting insurance companies from rescinding coverage, providing small businesses tax credits for health insurance plans and the establishment of consumer assistance programs.On Tuesday, a major provision of the act took effect as each state opened a Health Insurance Exchange where people can choose their own health insurance plan.In Connecticut, the health insurance exchange, which is operated by the state, is called Access Health CT. The exchange can be accessed online at www.accesshealthct.com.Kathleen Tallarita, who is the Government Affairs and Outreach Manager for Access Health CT, said residents can also apply and ask questions by phone at 855-805-4325.“We have brokers who can help people enroll in an insurance plan,” Tallarita said. “I have heard from people that there are health insurance brokers out there who are not part of our organization. These brokers charge for their services. Our brokers can help people at no charge.”Tallarita said Access Health CT will be setting up enrollment centers throughout the state, starting in mid-October.However, she said the closest full-time enrollment center to the Winsted area will be located in New Britain.“We do plan on having enrollment fairs on a weekly basis, probably starting in mid-November,” Tallarita said. “There will be one in the Northwest Corner, but we’re not sure which town yet. We’re looking for a location where we can be on a constant basis, but we don’t have the location set yet because we are still looking.”According to Tallarita, there are three insurance carriers residents can choose from for individual and family plans: Anthem, ConnectiCare and HealthyCT.Small businesses, who employ from two to 50 employees, can apply for health plans for their employees from three insurance carriers: Anthem, HealthyCT and UnitedHealthCare. On the website, the insurance plans are all rated to indicate how much in medical costs each plan will cover.Each company will be offering four different plans: A “platinum” plan which will cover at least 90 percent of health expenses, a “gold” plan which covers 80 percent of health expenses, a “silver” plan which covers 70 percent of health expenses and a “bronze” plan which covers 60 percent of health expenses.“There are a lot of differences between these plans,” Tallarita said. “The website will give full details about the differences between each plan.”Individuals may be eligible for either a tax credit or a subsidy to offset the price of a plan.Tallarita said, while health insurance coverage begins on January 1, the open enrollment period will last until March 31.People who are currently enrolled in a health insurance plan or are enrolled in Medicare do not have to enroll in any of the plans offered on the health insurance exchange.Starting next year, individuals who do not enroll in some kind of health insurance plan face a penalty of $95 or one percent of their income, whichever is greater.The penalty rises in 2015 to $325 or 2 percent of a person’s income, and in 2016 the penalty rises to $625 or 2.5 percent of a person’s income.Residents will not have to pay a penalty if they are uninsured for less than three months during the year, or if their income is determined to be too low to afford health insurance.Also, starting next year, companies who employ 50 or more full time employees who do not provide health insurance to them will face a penalty.While the new changes to the health care insurance system have been touted by some to make plans affordable, a recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists Connecticut as having the fourth highest premium costs in the country.In a list of weighted average premiums, for Connecticut, the lowest cost “silver” plan is estimated to cost $397 a month and the lowest cost “bronze” plan is estimated to cost $340 a month.In New York, the lowest cost “silver” plan is estimated to cost $319 a month, while the lowest cost “bronze” plan is estimated to cost $276 a month.Information for Massachusetts was not listed in the report.“The high costs for premiums in Connecticut is not unusual,” Tallarita said. “Its consistent with the premiums we have to pay now. Connecticut has some of the highests costs when it comes to everything. This is a high cost state.”In the end, Tallarita advises residents to look at Access Health CT’s website and research each plan carefully.“People need to go out and educate themselves,” she said. “Also, they should call our phone number and ask as many questions as they need to ask. That will help them move forward.”For more information about the new health insurance exchange, visit the website of Access Health CT at www.accesshealthct.com or call 855-805-4325.