Kevin Counihan was named CEO of the Connecticut health insurance exchange (also known as Access Health CT) June 21, 2012.
He was given 15 months to build the exchange ”” which includes an individual insurance marketplace and a small group insurance marketplace (known as the Small Business Health Options Program) ”” from scratch as prescribed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Enrollment would begin in October 2013 for plans marketed through the individual and small group marketplaces, with the plans themselves taking effect Jan. 1, 2014.
It was a daunting challenge, to say the least.
It is now clear that the state of Connecticut picked exactly the right man for the job.
With Counihan at the helm, Connecticut”™s health insurance exchange has been a national model for what a state-run exchange should resemble. Connecticut was among the first states in the nation to receive federal funding to establish its exchange, and was among the first six states to receive federal approval for its exchange implantation plan.
Connecticut is one of only a handful of states that will actually market multiple insurance plans through its small group insurance marketplace from the get-go after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ruled that states could postpone the “options” aspect of their Small Business Health Options Program marketplaces until 2015.
In the months since he was appointed, Counihan ”” one of the architects of Massachusetts”™ health reforms ”” has appeared polished, competent and confident in the prospects of Access Health CT to live up to its promise.
Counihan is also a realist and understands that thousands of individuals and hundreds ”” if not thousands ”” of businesses are depending on the exchange to feature multiple options, ranging from comprehensive to affordable.
Last month, he testified before Congress that the “hallmark of health reform has been the concept of shared responsibility, the sense of shared ownership of a common value that our nation benefits from more citizens realizing the peace of mind of health insurance coverage.”
But, he said, “Increasingly, shared responsibility must be accompanied by shared patience. We must have the patience to recognize the implementation of the ACA will take time to be fully realized, that premium rate adjustments will stabilize, that enrollment and health plan choices will be enhanced and that outreach and communication activities will continue to be more effective.”
Counihan didn”™t write the ACA, and in working to implement Connecticut”™s exchange he is merely playing by Congress”™ script. At the same time, his fingerprints blanket Connecticut”™s exchange, and its success or failure will be largely dependent on his efforts.
As of this writing, just one insurance company ”” HealthyCT Inc. ”” had filed rate requests for the plans it hopes to market through the Connecticut insurance exchange, despite a preferred filing deadline of April 30.
State insurance regulators say they expect a flurry of filings over the next month in anticipation of the absolute filing deadline in late July.
Until those filings are completed, neither Counihan nor regulators nor businesses and consumers will have a full picture of which plans will be available through the exchange”™s individual and small-group marketplaces.
In the meantime, Counihan has not promised miracles, but he has promised results.
Critics have suggested that the state set the bar too high when determining the minimum coverage standards for any plan hoping to participate in the Connecticut health exchange. Those critics say the high burden will lead to more costly plans than people are anticipating.
Counihan has defended the standards, saying that they are based off of one of the most popular small-group plans in the state and adding that low-income individuals may be able to offset the cost of plans with federal subsidies.
He says the exchange is on schedule to begin enrollment in October with coverage set to take effect in January.
He promises Access Health CT will help to reduce the number of uninsured Connecticut residents.
He says that over time, the exchange will help to facilitate a discussion around the affordability of health care coverage.
He vows that multiple plans will be available through the small group exchange.
He insists that the exchange”™s platform will be user-friendly, and has been engaged in efforts aimed at educating the public about the exchange and how it will function.
Counihan has set the bar high. Let”™s see if he and his staff can deliver.
