Miss. governor gives $1M to health law call center

Jun 1 2013

Despite his opposition to the law, Gov. Bryant supports a new facility that will be located in Hattiesburg. Also, in state exchange news, websites look at the seven plans competing in Georgia and the 13 plans that have submitted proposals in Colorado.

The Associated Press: State Gives $1M Aid To Health Overhaul Call Center
(Mississippi) Gov. Phil Bryant rarely misses a chance to bash the federal healthcare overhaul as an unaffordable intrusion. But Thursday, he announced the state is giving $1 million to a federal contractor that will hire 1,000 Mississippians to help implement it. The Mississippi Development Authority is giving that amount as economic development incentive to General Dynamics Corp. to help it build a call center in Hattiesburg to field questions, at least in part, about federal health insurance exchanges. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that employees would answer questions about subsidized health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace (Amy, 5/31).

Health Policy Solutions (a Colo. news service): Rates 'Decent' For Colorado Health Exchange
The news about Colorado rates has been very slow to emerge because Colorado's Division of Insurance (DOI) had a computer snafu that prevented industry insiders and members of the public from easily analyzing the new rates. Officials at both the DOI and Colorado's new health exchange say that the computer problems that DOI has dealt with have nothing to do with how easily customers will be able to view plans and shop for health insurance once the exchange, known as Connect for Health, opens on Oct. 1. … Vince Plymell, spokesman for the DOI, says 13 carriers are offering about 242 plans to be sold on the exchange. About 150 of those plans will cater to individuals (Kerwin McCrimmon, 5/31).

Georgia Health News: 7 Insurers Plan to Participate In Georgia Exchange
Seven health insurers have signed up to offer benefits plans in the online insurance exchange that will begin enrolling Georgians in October. And the companies are offering rates that are comparable to or even below current employer premiums, according to Bill Custer, a health insurance expert at Georgia State University, who was asked to evaluate the filings for GHN. Aetna, Alliant, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Coventry, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Peach State will offer a range of plans for individuals in Georgia as part of the Affordable Care Act's exchange, or "marketplace," which will debut in 2014 (Miller, 5/24).