Sean C. Morgan
Cover Oregon opened for business Tuesday, Oct. 1, and Oregonians were able to start shopping the exchange for health insurance plans despite some early glitches, such as a website that wasn’t ready to go.
Cover Oregon is a new marketplace where Oregonians can find and purchase health insurance. Residents who are uninsured, buy insurance on their own or own a small business with 50 or fewer eligible employees will be able to find health insurance through the program. Users can search for and compare health insurance plans and find help—online, in person and over the phone—to locate a plan that will fit their needs. Some people will also get help paying for their plan.
Some 560,000 uninsured Oregonians can get help finding coverage, said spokeswoman Ariane Holm. “Right now customers can browse and compare different plans and estimate savings they might receive.”
Subsidized coverage is available in the form of tax credits for those who qualify. Those who do not have coverage for at least nine months in 2014 will face a tax penalty.
“This is truly a new day in health care for people across our state, bringing more access, choice and competition to the marketplace than ever before,” said Howard “Rocky” King, executive director of Cover Oregon. “Health insurance is now available to hundreds of thousands more people, even if they have pre-existing health conditions.”
“This is a big day for our state and the nation,” said Gov. John Kitzhaber as the program opened. “With Cover Oregon’s launch, we are well on our way to thousands of Oregonians, many of whom have never had coverage before, receiving health insurance beginning this January. And as Cover Oregon opens its doors today, we are one important step closer to creating a more efficient and better coordinated health care system that doesn’t just offer people insurance, but actually helps to improve their health and well-being at a price they and our state can afford.”
Cover Oregon officials are not fully satisfied with the portion of the website that calculates eligibility for tax credits, Holm said. “We’re taking a bit more time to perfect that part of the system.”
It should be in place with online enrollment available by the end of the month, Holm said, but there is plenty of time to find a plan. The deadline is Dec. 15 for enrollment to begin coverage on Jan. 1.
Open enrollment for commercial plans continues through March 2014. Enrollment for the Oregon Health Plan and Healthy Kids will be open year-round. Small businesses can also enroll year-round.
Until the website is fully functional, it can still be used to shop for plans and find local agents to get started, she said. Cover Oregon includes 102 plans for individuals and about 73 plans for small businesses. They can be searched by ZIP code, county and name.
Right now, people can use the website to explore the coverage, sign up for e-mail updates and find answers to frequently asked questions as well as general information about the insurance carriers and estimated savings on insurance plans.
Even after the website is fully functional, “customers will still need to go through a community partner or agent,” Holm said. Contact information is available, and individuals can call or reach out by e-mail.
More than 2,000 certified insurance agents and 100 organizations around the state are qualified to assist.
In addition to making it easier to find the right plan, Cover Oregon is the only place to get access to cost savings in the form of tax credits to cover premiums and cost-sharing assistance to cover doctor visits, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. It is estimated that more than 400,000 Oregonians, including individuals earning up to $45,900 a year and a family of four earning up to $94,200 a year, will qualify.
Cover Oregon will facilitate enrollment in public medical programs, such as the Oregon Health Plan and Healthy Kids, for which many more people now qualify.
“The most important thing to keep in mind is you have time,” Holm said. “We’re asking people to be patient with us. Day two will be better than day one. Day three will be better than day two.”
“We knew there would be bumps in the road as we roll out the technology, and we’ve planned for them,” King said.
“In fact, we are not fully satisfied with one part of our system: the eligibility determination for tax credits and for the Oregon Health Plan and Healthy Kids. We don’t want a single Oregonian to miss out on the chance for low-cost or no-cost health coverage, so we’re taking a bit more time to get that part of the system ready.”
Holm urges anyone who does not have coverage through an employer to check out the Cover Oregon website for further information.
The website is coveroregon.com. People may also call (855) 268-3767. Help is free and available in multiple languages.