The insurance exchange — a key component of President Barack Obama’s federal health care overhaul — hasn’t been able to sell any insurance in Hawaii because of problems with the software at the heart of the marketplace. Consumers can’t see plans, even though a variety of options from two insurers have been approved to be sold by the state’s insurance division.
The problems have meant consumers can only submit basic information using a web form, with the promise they’ll be contacted in a few weeks.
As a workaround, some people are going directly to insurance companies to find out about plans, even though buying plans from insurance companies directly means consumers won’t be able to get tax subsidies or other help they might qualify for.Hawaii was the first state to announce its intention to run its own insurance exchange, and the Hawaii Health Connector was established in August 2011.
The connector is funded through federal grants, with plans to become self-sufficient
by 2015 by charging customers a 2 percent fee on plans sold through the exchange, Andrews said.
The exchange awarded a $53 million, four-year contract to CGI Group, Inc., earlier this year to build the marketplace.
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/10/10/hawaii-relaunching-obamacare-exchange-after-not-selling-any-health-insurance-due-to-software-problems/
