Connecticut received a $107 million federal grant Aug. 23 to further the design and development of its health insurance exchange.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided Connecticut and three other states with level-two establishment grants. Previously Washington and Rhode Island were the only states whose state exchanges were sufficiently developed to qualify for level-two funding. Four states also received level-one funding Aug. 23.
“Today, after a year of hard work developing our own state-based exchange, we are one step closer to that goal,” said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, in a press release. “This latest grant reaffirms our commitment and readiness to implementing this innovative new way for state residents and small businesses to access affordable health insurance.”
By 2014, each state must create their own insurance marketplace for private health insurance plans or offer access to the national exchange under the Affordable Care Act.
Level-two grants are designed to assist states in hiring staff and consultants to manage the creation of an exchange and also to go toward developing an IT system that will assist in enrollment; provide information for consumers, insurers and agencies; and determine eligibility.
To date, Connecticut has received a total of $116 million in federal funds to support the exchange. About $1 billion in federal funds have been awarded nationally.
“The Affordable Care Act, which has unnecessarily become a political punching bag, has one noble, overarching goal,” Malloy said. “To expand access to more affordable health care to nearly every American.”
