Massachusetts- State Insurance Exchange Awarded $11.6 Million to Adjust to Affordable Care Act

Massachusetts will receive $11.6 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to move the state’s online health insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses toward compliance under the Affordable Care Act, the federal agency announced today.

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But the Massachusetts Health Connector, which runs the program here, has work to do adjust the state exchange to meet federal requirements, said Executive Director Glen Shor.

“We need to simultaneously continue to run these programs well and keep our population highly insured, and at the same time we need to plan for 2014,” Shor said. “These resources allow us to do both well.”

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Shor said Massachusetts’s money will be used to prepare for the launch of the “Health Connector 2.0.” The Connector uses a three-tier system to classify health plans by cost and level of benefits. Under the federal law, it must convert to a five-tier system, including the most basic catastrophic coverage.

http://www.boston.com/Boston/whitecoatnotes/2012/02/state-insurance-exchange-awarded-million-adjust-affordable-care-act/140aA2GNj9r0uOL2wZEB2I/index.html

Hat Tip: Boston Globe/ White Coat Notes/ Chelsea Conaboy