CT healthcare exchange takes big steps forward

Connecticut's Access Health CT, the state's healthcare benefits exchange mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has begun efforts to reach out to uninsured residents.

The organization has already collected information from more than 1,300 people at town hall meetings held throughout Connecticut, according to Kaiser Health News and The Boston Globe. Access Health has plans to set up booths at fairs and similar events in the spring and summer to spread awareness of the health insurance marketplace and encourage residents to enroll in October. The organization will also reach out to smaller employers in the state.

"We are on a mission to make history," Kevin Counihan, the CEO of Access Health, told the source. 

The organization aims to enroll 220,000 people by March 2014. This number represents two-thirds of the state's uninsured population.

Connecticut's implementation of a healthcare exchange is among the fastest among states in the nation. The Associated Press noted being among the first to focus on healthcare reform initiatives has been difficult, as Connecticut has no prior examples to follow. In addition, the Department of Health and Human  Services' regulations and guidance has changed in the recent past, creating ongoing challenges for exchanges.

School districts and other public agencies that have staff members who do not qualify for employee-sponsored healthcare because they work fewer than 30 hours per week may consider helping these workers find resources pertaining to healthcare exchange enrollment.