The Marketplace – October 1 and HCPF Employees

“As you may know, Connect for Health Colorado, also referred to as the Marketplace, will be open on October 1, 2013 for individuals, families and small businesses to shop, compare and select the health insurance plan that makes sense for them. You may have seen some of the advertisements on TV, in print or on the sides of RTD buses. Previous marketing efforts by Connect for Health Colorado have been aimed at achieving name recognition and awareness of the coming launch. Newer advertisements will encourage consumers to purchase health insurance through the Marketplace.

• Enrollment and payment is due no later than December 15th for the first date of coverage in the Marketplace, which is January 1, 2014.
• Coverage through expanded Medicaid eligibility does not begin until January 1, 2014.

We have been working closely with Connect for Health Colorado so people have information about coming changes in insurance coverage. You can find more information at our website, Colorado.gov/health.

The Client Services, Eligibility and Enrollment Office has been working diligently to ensure that our eligibility system and Connect for Health Colorado’s system have as seamless a connection as possible. The Department has been providing training to county workers on the new eligibility rules, CBMS and PEAK systems. We have been partnering with the Marketplace on their training for their brokers, agents, Colorado health guides and assistance sites. The launch of the Marketplace and the coming Medicaid expansion bring together public and private health systems in new ways and has been months of hard work with our partners at Connect for Health Colorado. While we don’t know exactly what to expect when the Marketplace opens in October, we do know that the systems will continue to evolve and improve over time.

Day 1 Plans
We will have at least one HCPF employee on site at almost all of the 10 largest county offices in order to work directly with eligibility workers in case problems arise. Small and medium counties will receive a dedicated Eligibility Division contact person who will support through daily phone calls and email. The Medicaid Eligibility inbox and Help Desk will be available to all sites.” [Source: HCPF]