Service organizations designed to assist municipalities in making health care information available to the public are gaining ground as seen in New York City where two such organizations, HealthConnect and TriZetto have helped the City of New York to establish a service website for its citizens. HealthConnect and TriZetto function to help governmental organizations that have a desire to implement health insurance exchanges, which are also called connectors. Through these exchanges governmental organizations provide citizens access to a wide range of health plans from several health providers.
TriZetto’s vice president for strategy and communication, Eric Grossman, expressed the aim of these two organizations when he said that HealthConnect and TriZetto are providing these connectors to serve as an important source for the distribution of health insurance information to the public and that they see themselves as providing a compelling argument that their product is of value to all parties needed to make an exchange successful, including insurance agents and general agents. Grossman says that the stating up of the New York City health care information website referred to as the New York City Health Insurance Link, represents the first of what HealthConnect and Trizetto project to be numerous opportunities in this geographic area.
The Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) for New York City deals with more than 3 million New Yorkers who are in need, which they reach through varied programs and services. These include such programs for of family support as public health insurance (Medicaid, Family Health Plus), child care, child support, food stamps, and home care for seniors and the disabled. Through their website, www.nyc.gov/healthstat, the New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) has been successful at expanding health insurance access, making it available for all New Yorkers. Over the last six years, this office has been in collaboration with other City and State agencies in addition to partners in the private sector, working to promote access to affordable health insurance through specifically directed outreach programs and the use of critical analysis.
Through OCHIA, City-wide partnerships are coordinated so as to ensure the eligibility of New Yorkers for public health insurance programs and their enrollment in them. Working with various chambers of commerce, and together with other business and community organizations and local development corporations, the OCHIA conducts education and outreach forums directed at the improvement of access for sole proprietors and working individuals as well as the City’s small businesses, to affordable private health insurance options. In addition, the OCHIA is involved in policy initiatives designed to complement as well as to support, its outreach and enrollment efforts.
About the HealthConnect online access
HealthConnect is the number one online network for those wishing to buy or sell health insurance and employee benefits. It is available at www.healthconnectsystems.com. Through HealthConnect’s multi payer portal, medical and ancillary carriers in addition to service providers are able to increase their sales, while reducing their customer acquisition costs and to obtain valid and up-to-date market intelligence regarding their broker distribution channel. Through the portal Health insurance agents are able to reduce costs using automation, and to increase their sales through the concept of competitive differentiation. They are also able to increase retention. At the same time, employers and employees are allowed to do away with the administrative burden of using separate system to work with multiple providers.