The Hawaii Health Connector Begins Enrollment

The Hawaiian Health Connector, a new online health insurance marketplace made to connect individuals, families, and small businesses to a variety of health coverage plans, kick started their 2013 open enrollment Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the Molokai Community Health Center.

“We were happy with the turn out,” said Kanoelani Davis, the hi`iola–or education and outreach–program specialist representing Molokai and Lanai. “We had a nice amount of people that we did not expect, so we were happy to see that.”

Created by the Hawaii State Legislature in 2011, the Hawaii Health Connector is a web-based nonprofit that serves as a comparison-shopping portal for available health insurance options. According to the Hawaii Health Connector webpage, they work closely with state agencies, insurers and nonprofits to make health insurance easier to understand and accessible for consumers and small businesses.

The Molokai community was able to meet the representatives of the Hawaii Health Connector and their on-island partners Tuesday to learn about the marketplace, the benefits that are offered and how to enroll online. They also learned about the 2011 Affordable Care Act, a national health reform with a goal to ensure all Americans have access to affordable and quality healthcare and how it affects the Hawaii Health Connector.

“Because there is such a large amount of small businesses on our islands, the benefits for their employees are going to be greater as well as for themselves as employers because they will be able to come through the connector and see if they can qualify for tax credits,” said Davis.

According to Davis, the Hawaiian Health Connector has partnered with the Molokai Community Health Center and Na Pu`uwai, naming them marketplace assistors and certifying them to determine eligibility and enroll interested parties on Molokai. Individuals and small businesses can also communicate with representatives online through their live web chat feature.

The next Hawaiian Health Connector small business informational presentation will be held Thursday, Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. at the Kuha`o Business Center.

For more information on upcoming presentations and the Hawaiian Health Connector, contact Kanoelani Davis at 321-4400 or visit www.hawaiihealthconnector.com