Our Customer Support Center is Open
From Hawaii Health Connector Sunday, September 15, 2013
After much anticipation, our Customer Support Center is now open and our representatives are excited and eager to hear from you! Ensuring quality customer service is our top priority, and our team is trained and ready to assist you. We'll answer your questions regarding the upcoming enrollment process and how you will be able to find coverage for you, your family, and your small business to meet both your health and financial needs.
In addition to answering your calls, the Center will receive inquires through multiple communication channels, including postal mail, email, and fax. We will also have multilingual representatives who can assist you in Hawaiian, English, Cantonese, Chuukese, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Marshallese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, as well as interpretive services for the hearing and speech impaired.
We will be available from 8 am to 8 pm, Monday thru Friday.
You can reach us at:
Call us today! Make sure to tell your family and friends to call us, too!
Coverage starts as soon as January 1, 2014.
Mahalo nui loa,
The Hawai'i Health Connector
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Government and Community Partners Celebrate Affordable Care Act Implementation, Opening of Health Connector Contact Center
News Release from Hawaii Health Connector
HONOLULU, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 — Community groups, government officials, private sector business and healthcare leaders joined Governor Neil Abercrombie and the Hawaii Health Connector today as they announced the completion of significant milestones in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the development of Hawaii’s state-based health insurance marketplace. The Connector’s marketplace assister program and contact center made their debut, and state insurance officials announced details regarding plans that will be participating on the marketplace. Open enrollment for health insurance plans on the Connector begins in October and runs through March 31, and plan coverage becomes effective January 1, 2014.
“Every resident in our great state deserves high quality, equitable healthcare,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie. “The State of Hawaii will continue to work with the Hawaii Health Connector and other healthcare leaders to provide critical information to the public as we transform Hawaii’s healthcare system.”
When the Connector begins taking enrollment applications on Oct. 1, it will be due in large part to the combined support of the Governor, Hawaii state legislature, federal and state partners, community partners, Connector board of directors and staff. After months of planning and development, it is finally time for the work of engaging and enrolling individuals and small businesses in quality health plans to begin.
“In collaboration with state and community partners, The Hawaii Health Connector will soon go live,” said Coral Andrews, Hawaii Health Connector’s executive director. “Our contact center and multiple assister organizations statewide are looking forward to providing a supportive consumer experience over this next 180 day period of open enrollment. We are looking forward to bringing value to those who could not previously access or afford the insurance coverage they need.”
The customer service contact center, which can be reached at 877-628-5076, will receive inquiries from multiple communication channels. In addition to telephone assistance, the contact center staff will be available by postal mail and fax. Operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, the contact center will assist customers with questions and appointments for open enrollment. Language support is available. In addition, marketplace assisters are available statewide – a map locator can be accessed online at www.HawaiiHealthConnector.com.
"The new online marketplace will bring changes to Hawaii's health insurance industry," said Gordon Ito, Insurance Commissioner. "In a state where the cost of living is priced well above the national averages, people have struggled to afford health care premiums. However, ACA provides an opportunity for a group of individuals and small businesses to reduce their net out-of-pocket cost of purchasing health insurance."
“Access to affordable, quality health care is the foundation for improving the health of our population,” added Dr. David Sakamoto, Deputy Director of the Department of Health. “Better health leads to lower health care costs and a higher quality of living.”
For individuals and families eligible for Medicaid, they will still have access to Med-QUEST services without needing to take specific action on Oct. 1.
"Individuals determined eligible for Med-QUEST programs on or after October 1 will be able to enroll immediately,” said Patricia McManaman, Director of the Department of Human Services. “Current Med-QUEST recipients do not have to do anything at this time. They will retain their coverage.”
For more information about the Connector, please visit HawaiiHealthConnector.com.
About the Hawai‘i Health Connector
The Hawai‘i Health Connector is the online health insurance marketplace for Hawai‘i. The Connector was established as a non-profit organization in 2011 by the Hawai‘i State Legislature through Act 205, in order to comply with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010. The Connector’s aim is an online marketplace that is of Hawai‘i-for-Hawai‘i, one that takes into account the State’s unique culture and works with the Prepaid Health Care Act, an employer mandate for health insurance coverage in effect since 1974. For more information, visit www.Hawaiihealthconnector.com.
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Understanding the Benefits of Coverage
From Hawaii Health Connector Thursday, August 15, 2013
“Health insurance is very intimidating no matter how you look at it,” says writer Jo Archibald. “Whether you’re a parent or a business owner, it’s hard to know what is right for you. You want to know that there is going to be someone there to guide you through choosing important things like health insurance.”
With a growing staff of marketplace assisters and outreach staff, the Hawaiʻi Health Connector’s online health insurance marketplace will provide just what she needs. Residents like Jo can also rest assured that all plans on the Connector are quality health plans. Following rules of the Affordable Care Act, all new health plans on the Connector must include essential health benefits.
Essential health benefits include services such as emergency care, pediatric dental/vision and drug prescriptions, at no additional cost. They will also offer a range of preventive services – such as cancer screenings – at no additional cost as well. Lastly, your health coverage cannot be denied or cancelled, based on pre-existing conditions.
Federal Tax Credits
“The cost is scary,” says Jo, about monthly premiums. “It’s such a basic need to be able to see a doctor when you need one. It’s as basic as needing to get food on your table.”
Federal tax credits accessible exclusively through the Connector can lower the cost of your premium and reduce the amount of the premium you will pay for insurance. The Advanced Premium Tax Credit for individuals can be applied to the cost of health plans when you enroll; you do not need to wait until you file a tax return at the end of the year. If you want to use your tax credits, you must enroll in a health plan. The Connector is the only place you can go to find financial help from the federal government to lower your health coverage costs next year.
Covering the Community
“While I like to think of health care as what’s in it for me, what’s important to my family, I know that in the bigger picture it really does relate to what’s in it for my community, “says Jo.
Our goal at the Hawaiʻi Health Connector is to make health insurance easier to buy and easier to understand, so that every individual, every family and every small business in Hawaiʻi can enjoy the benefits of medical care. After all, the healthier we are, the more our community prospers.
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