June 28, 2012 -- Starting in October 2013, Oregonians will be able to shop for health insurance in a new way. The Oregon Health Insurance Exchange will be a central marketplace where individual consumers and small employers can easily compare plans, enroll, and receive help paying for coverage.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Affordable Care Act, which provides the start-up funding necessary for the Exchange to be ready for open enrollment and provides Oregonians with tax credits and other financial assistance to help pay for plans through the Exchange.
“The Exchange will help make insurance more accessible for Oregonians, including the more than 600,000 who are uninsured,” said Howard “Rocky” King, executive director of the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange. “We are committed to continue working with consumers, small employers, insurance carriers, and others to ensure we develop an Exchange that meet’s Oregon’s unique needs.”
The Exchange has recently added a calculator on its website where Oregonians can estimate how much they may be able to save through the tax credits and other assistance that will be available through the Exchange in 2014. The calculator is available at http://www.orhix.org/calculator/.
In addition to connecting Oregonians with financial assistance, the Exchange will provide:
- Ability to compare plans “apples to apples” and sort plans by criteria that is important to individual consumers.
- Trusted information and assistance. The Exchange will provide information on how to best use health benefits to improve health as well as a network of specially trained customer service staff, insurance agents, and community partners that will help guide Oregonians in all parts of the state.
- Seamless eligibility and enrollment process. With a single application, Oregonians can find and enroll in the health plan that best meets their needs.
- Innovative plan options and simplified plan administration for small employers. Small employers with 50 or fewer employees can allow their employees to choose an insurance company and plan through a defined contribution model.
For details on how the Exchange is preparing for open enrollment, visit the Exchange timeline at: http://www.orhix.org/images/orhix_roadmap_large.png.
For more information about the Exchange, including public meeting schedules and contact information, visit http://www.orhix.org.
